Posted inOperations

Air India flight from Mumbai to London returned after three hours in the air

Amid escalating Middle East tensions, multiple Air India flights were forced to turn back or reroute after Iran closed its airspace following Israeli airstrikes.

Air India
Air India

An Air India flight heading towards London turned back to Mumbai after flying for three hours, news agency PTI reported, referring to Flightradar24 data.

The flight from Mumbai to London was in the air for three hours after taking off from the airport at 5:39 a.m.

AI ISSUES STATEMENT

Air India, in a statement, stated that as a result of the situation in Iran and the shutdown of its airspace, a number of its flights are being diverted or going back to their point of origin.

Flight details:

AI130 – London Heathrow-Mumbai – Diverted to Vienna

AI102 – New York-Delhi – Diverted to Sharjah

AI116 – New York-Mumbai – Diverted to Jeddah

AI2018 – London Heathrow-Delhi – Diverted to Mumbai

AI129 – Mumbai-London Heathrow – Returning to Mumbai

AI119 – Mumbai-New York – Back to Mumbai

AI103 – Delhi-Washington – Back to Delhi

AI106 – Newark-Delhi- Routing to Vienna

AI188 – Vancouver-Delhi – Routing to Jeddah

AI101 – Delhi-New York – Routing to Frankfurt/Milan

AI126 – Chicago-Delhi – Routing to Jeddah

AI132 – London Heathrow-Bengaluru – Routed to Sharjah

AI2016 – London Heathrow-Delhi – Routed to Vienna

AI104 – Washington-Delhi – Routed to Vienna

AI190 – Toronto-Delhi – Routed to Frankfurt

AI189 – Delhi-Toronto – Back to Delhi

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our guests due to this unexpected disruption and are doing everything to reduce it, including ensuring accommodation of the guests. Cancellation refund or free rescheduling is also being given to guests who choose that option. Alternative arrangements are also being made to transport guests to their destinations,” the Air India release stated.

OPERATION RISING LION IMPACTS INDIAN TRAVEL

In pre-dawn attacks known as Operation Rising Lion, Israel struck several high-priority nuclear and military targets in Iran.

Several hours later, the Iranian Civil Aviation Authority said the country’s airspace was closed. A complete airspace closure and increased emergency readiness along its northern and southern borders were also declared by Israel.