Two Air India Flights Over Iran-Controlled Airspace Just Hours Before Israel Attack

According to a source, only hours before Tehran launched an unprecedented aerial assault on Israel, at least two Air India planes risked the lives of everyone on board by passing through Iranian-controlled airspace.

Data from Flightradar24, a global flight tracker that displays real-time air traffic globally, indicates that on April 13 and 14, Air India flights 116 and 131, respectively, ran routes from New York to Mumbai and from Mumbai to London. At a time when tensions between Iran and Israel were rising, these planes passed over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, according to the Hindustan Times.

An Air India representative said that the airline places the safety of its customers, employees, and aircraft as its first priority when speaking with the magazine about the matter.

He emphasized, “Our flight operations plan, regardless of airspace, is risk-assessed and we do not make any compromise with safety issues,” refuting any suggestion that the corporation has compromised on safety.

The spokeswoman went on, “Air India was closely monitoring the developing situation in the Middle East in close consultation with various safety organizations and regulatory bodies starting on April 13, 2024, even though the Iranian airspace was available to civilian air traffic without any restrictions or NOTAM and airlines continued operating in that airspace.”

An aviation authority will notify pilots of possible risks on the ground or along a route via the use of a NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen.

“Some of our westbound flights were scheduled on an alternate route along the safe corridor, which was also used by other airlines as part of our risk assessment,” he said.

In addition to Air India, other airlines that crossed Iran’s airspace on April 13 included Malaysia Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, according to flight tracker data.