UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and others: DGCA asks airlines to avoid 9 airspaces amid rising tensions in Middle East india news
New Delhi: Aviation regulatory body Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday directed airlines to avoid nine airfields in the war-torn Gulf region and make strong contingency plans, citing increasing risks following the ongoing conflict in the region.In an advisory, the DGCA asked carriers to avoid airspace over Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.Indian airlines can continue to operate to Oman and Saudi Arabia subject to conditions. The regulator said flights in designated parts of these airspaces should not operate below FL 320 or 32,000 feet.Regarding the nine airspaces, the DGCA asked airlines to “avoid operations within the affected airspace at all flight levels and altitudes”.
It added that any continued operations would be at the discretion of the operator based on their safety risk assessment.“Operations at airports in the affected area, where other international carriers are currently operating, should include robust contingency planning to cover all eventualities as part of the security risk assessment by the operators,” the DGCA said, according to news agency PTI.The advisory comes into effect immediately and will remain valid till March 28 unless reviewed or lifted.“Operators are advised to provide their flight crews with the latest NOTAMs, information about airspace restrictions already affecting air travel,” it added.NOTAMs, or Notices to Airmen, provide real-time updates on airspace and airport conditions.“Recent military strikes by the United States and Israel against targets within Iranian territory have given rise to a high-risk environment for civil aviation. In response to these strikes, Iran has announced retaliatory measures,” the DGCA warned.