Civilian aircraft operating in or around conflict zones remain vulnerable to missile engagements, misidentification, GPS interference, electronic warfare and rapidly changing airspace restrictions. (Pixabay) Summary
Renewed tensions in West Asia have ignited a debate over the safety of civilian flights to the region. A section of Indian pilots has sought a suspension of flights, but the country’s largest pilots’ body argues airlines should continue flying as long as foreign carriers do. As renewed US-Iran hostilities raise concerns over the safety of civilian aircraft operating in West Asia, a section of India’s commercial pilots wants flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other Gulf destinations suspended until the government completes a fresh threat assessment. The country’s largest pilots’ association, however, disagrees, saying Indian carriers should not stop flying and lose out while the war-hit region’s own airlines continue with their services.
The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (Alpa India) has written to civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), seeking immediate suspension of commercial flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until authorities complete a comprehensive security assessment. Alpa India is a member association of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (Ifalpa), which represents over 100,000 pilots globally. In India, Alpa has over 2,500 members. The association’s request comes as the US and Iran have renewed hostilities, with reports of fresh military escalation and threats directed at key Gulf cities over the past eight days. “The security situation has now deteriorated further,” Alpa president Sam Thomas wrote in a letter dated 20 July, a copy of which has been reviewed by Mint.
“Recent reports of explicit threats directed against Dubai and Abu Dhabi, coupled with the continuing military escalation in the region, significantly heighten the risk to civil aviation operations,” it said. Thomas said civilian aircraft operating in or around conflict zones remain vulnerable to missile engagements, misidentification, GPS interference, electronic warfare and rapidly changing airspace restrictions.
The consequences of a misjudgement in such an environment, he warned, could be catastrophic. “Alpa India, therefore, respectfully reiterates its earlier request that the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA immediately suspend all commercial flight operations by Indian operators to the affected Gulf destinations, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, until a comprehensive and independent threat assessment has been undertaken,” it said. The pilots’ body said services should resume only after the government is satisfied that the threat has been independently assessed, airlines have implemented appropriate risk mitigation measures, pilots have been adequately briefed, and insurance and contingency arrangements remain valid under the current security situation. Contra view However, not all pilot groups are aligned with Alpa’s demand. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), the country’s largest pilots’ association with over 6,000 members, opposed any move to suspend flights, arguing that Indian airlines should not voluntarily cede operations while foreign carriers continue to fly. “The Middle Eastern carriers are continuing their operations into India and elsewhere.
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So why should Indian carriers stop operations?” asked C.S. Randhawa, president of the federation. Randhawa said Indian airlines had already suffered significant disruption between late February and May, as operations in key West Asia markets were curtailed. “The Middle East carriers like Emirates or Etihad did not stop operations last time.
But there were restrictions on Indian carriers, which impacted them,” he said. Indian carriers are already taking a longer route to the Gulf countries in view of continued airspace closure over Pakistan since April last year. Tata Group-backed Air India has pegged losses at nearly ₹5,000 crore because of the longer flying hours.
“Indian carriers have incurred significant costs by flying extra hours,” Randhawa said. Alpa’s recent letter marks its second appeal this year. The association referred to an earlier communication sent to the DGCA on 27 March, urging a precautionary approach to flights operating in conflict-affected airspace as geopolitical tensions escalated. “The safety of passengers, crew members, and aircraft must remain the overriding consideration,” it had said. “History has repeatedly demonstrated that in conflict zones, preventive regulatory action is far preferable than responding after an avoidable tragedy.”
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Busy corridor Renewed instability in West Asia—a key transit hub for Indian aviation—has repeatedly disrupted global flight operations over the past few months following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that began on 28 February 2026.
According to industry executives, the region accounts for about one-third of Indian airlines’ international operations. Indian carriers, led by IndiGo and Air India Express, have only recently started restoring services to Gulf destinations after months of disruption. Together with Air India, Akasa Air and SpiceJet, they operate hundreds of weekly flights to the UAE.
According to UK-based aviation analytics firm OAG, the UAE remains India’s busiest international market this month despite a 6% year-on-year reduction in capacity to 1.1 million seats. Saudi Arabia is the second-largest overseas market for Indian carriers, with nearly 310,000 seats, followed by Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. Any suspension of flights, if ordered by the regulator, would significantly disrupt one of India’s busiest international aviation corridors, affecting both expatriate traffic and passengers connecting through Gulf hubs to Europe, North America and Africa. So far, the DGCA has not issued any directive restricting flights to the UAE. Earlier, the regulator had coordinated with airlines to reroute aircraft from unsafe airspaces, instead of imposing blanket suspensions, depending on the prevailing threat assessment. In the war’s early phase, prior to the June interim agreement between the US and Iran that was soon nixed, the DGCA had issued directives for airlines to avoid nine high-risk airspaces in West Asia: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, and the UAE. Indian carriers must refrain from flying these routes at all altitudes; flights can operate via Saudi Arabia and Oman, but must stay above 32,000 feet, it had said.
Queries sent to the DGCA, the civil aviation ministry and airlines on the matter remained unanswered until press time. About the Author Abhishek Law
Abhishek Law has spent 18 years in journalism, which in news industry terms means he has survived several newsroom restructurings, countless “urgent” press releases, and more cups of tea than he can reasonably count.
Based in New Delhi, he covers aviation for Mint, a sector where aircraft, oil prices, geopolitics and airline CEOs regularly conspire to make his life interesting. Most of his time gets occupied by translating airline jargon like ASKs, yields, load factors and fleet strategies into language that doesn’t require a pilot’s licence. His motto is simple: if readers need a glossary, he hasn’t done his job properly.
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On most days, the quadragenarian is tracking airline strategies, policy changes and the occasional mid-air disruption that suddenly become a stock market story. When planes are behaving themselves (which is not very often nowadays), he strays into other corporate beats like steel, trying to figure out what’s really happening. He loves to talk, especially ask—that one more question which people are uncomfortable with, and saving contacts in his phone as a “Source who may or may not pick up calls”. But, on a serious note, the goal remains simple: cut through jargon, find that additional detail, and turn complicated business stories into something one can actually enjoy reading. Stay updated with the latest Trending, India , World and US news.
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