Middle East Crisis: The Ministry of Civil Aviation Requests That Airlines Do a Risk Assessment on Flight Operations

The civil aviation ministry has requested that airlines do their own risk assessments on foreign flight operations in light of the growing tensions in the Middle East.

In view of the escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, Air India, Vistara, IndiGo, and other foreign airlines have chosen to take other flight routes to the West and are avoiding Iranian airspace.

Vumlunmang Vualnam, the secretary of civil aviation, told PTI on Tuesday that airlines have been requested to do their own risk assessments in relation to their flight operations.

He said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is in communication with the minister of foreign affairs and is supporting and talking with the airlines.

In response to a question on whether the ministry or the DGCA had issued advice to airlines about the Middle East crisis, the secretary gave her response.

Due to the situation in the Middle East, Vistara has also altered the flight paths for several of its flights. Air India is now flying certain of its foreign flights on alternate routes to and from India.

Additionally, Air India has halted its flights to Tel Aviv for the time being. Some of the foreign flights now take around 30 minutes longer to complete due to the alternate flight patterns.

Regarding the Middle East issue, Suprio Banerjee, Vice President & Sector Head, Corporate Ratings at ICRA, said that longer routes may be necessary for commercial airlines to follow in order to adhere to no-fly orders, which would result in increased fuel costs.

If the problem continues, Banerjee said, “this will also impact international air travel to the directly affected and potentially affected nearby geographies during the upcoming summer holiday season.”

Airlines that operate flights to and from Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia may have to reroute their flights owing to the present geopolitical unrest, which might result in longer itineraries and greater costs. This information was provided by Manan Bajoria, Group VP Growth at travel site ixigo.

Long-duration diversions might raise fuel costs for airlines and raise pricing on certain flights, according to Bajoria.

The Middle East’s continuous geopolitical upheavals, according to Banerjee, will keep pressure on crude oil prices, which will then push up the price of ATF, which has been higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.