By – Prakarsh Kastwar
According to a spokesman, there were no flight restrictions or alerts from aviation authorities that prohibited planes. Air India redirected flights later that weekend.
New Delhi : Just a few hours before Iran launched its huge aerial attack on Israel, at least two Air India aircraft passed through Iranian-controlled airspace, perhaps endangering the lives of multiple passengers and crew members.
On April 13 and 14, Air India flights 116 and 131 sailed from New York to Mumbai and Mumbai to London, respectively, above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, as the shadow of a conflict between Iran and Israel loomed large, according to data from Flightradar24, a flight tracking service.
Iran assaulted Israel over the weekend, launching at least 300 drones and missiles. Iran’s military strike had been predicted for days after tensions between the two countries rose on April 1, when fighter planes struck a building belonging to the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria.
The Air India jets, a Boeing 777-232 and a Boeing 777ER, can carry between 280 and 330 passengers.
What Air India said
According to an Air India representative, the safety of its customers, employees, and aircraft is the airline’s first priority. “We do not compromise on safety issues; our flight operations plan is risk-assessed regardless of airspace,” the man stated.
In the two cases reported by HT.com, the official stated unequivocally that the airline made no compromise on safety. “Air India was closely monitoring the developing situation in the Middle East in close consultation with various safety organizations and regulatory bodies beginning on April 13, 2024, even though the Iranian airspace was open to civilian air traffic with no restrictions or NOTAMs and airlines continued to operate in it. As part of our risk assessment, we planned some of our west-bound flights on an alternate route along the safe corridor that other airlines also used.
A NOTAM, or notice to airmen, is an aviation authority-issued alert to pilots concerning potential risks on the ground or along a route.
To be clear, Air India was not the only airline that went through Iranian airspace. On April 13, airlines like Malaysia Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways flew over Iranian airspace.
Several global airlines began rerouting or canceling flights overnight on Saturday and Sunday, as well as on Monday (April 15).
Air India redirected many flights on April 13 as a precaution. Its 149 and 121 flights from Kochi to London Gatwick Airport and Delhi to Frankfurt chose the lengthier route through Afghanistan.
It is unknown why Air India judged that these flights posed a risk rather than others that passed through Iranian airspace.
A history filled with downed aircraft in combat zones
There are numerous examples in aviation history of civilian aircraft being shot down in or near combat zones.
As recently as January 2020, a Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 was blown up in Iran, killing at least 176 passengers. On July 17, 2014, a Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 passengers.
Airlines routinely fly at altitudes of 35,000 feet, which are considered safe by aviation authorities, even if the flights pass over troublesome zones. However, turbulence or a strange accident, such as engine failure, might lead planes to fly at a lower height. The Malaysian Airlines airplane was traveling at 33,000 feet when calamity struck.
Airlines often take passenger safety seriously. Flight disruptions caused by fog throughout the winter are excellent instances.