Two Air India flights crossed through airspace controlled by Iran just hours before Iran launched a major aerial attack on Israel. Flight tracking data reveals the flights occurred amid simmering tensions between the two nations. The flights have raised concerns about potential risks to civilian passengers.
According to data from Flightradar24, Air India flights 116 (New York to Mumbai) and 131 (Mumbai to London) flew over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman on April 13th and 14th, respectively.
An Air India spokesperson acknowledged the flights, stating: "Our flight operations plan, regardless of airspace, is risk-assessed and we do not make any compromise with safety issues.” The spokesperson emphasized that Air India monitored the situation closely in consultation with safety organizations.
The spokesperson further added, “From 13th April 2024, even while the Iranian airspace was available to civilian air traffic without any restrictions or NOTAM and airlines continued operating in that airspace, Air India was closely monitoring the developing situation in the Middle East in close consultation with various safety organisations and regulatory bodies.”
A NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen, is an alert issued by an aviation authority to pilots about potential hazards along a route or on the ground.
“As part of our risk assessment some of our west-bound flights were planned on an alternative route along the safe corridor which was also used by other airlines,” he added.
Apart from Air India, the flight tracker data showed that airlines such as Malaysia Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways also flew over Iran’s airspace on April 13.
