TBM Staff - Mumbai Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has asked airlines to carry out their own risk assessment on international flight operations.
Air India, Vistara, IndiGo and various international airlines have opted for alternative flight paths to the West and are avoiding the Iranian airspace against the backdrop of tensions flaring up between Iran and Israel.
Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam on Tuesday told PTI that airlines have been asked to make their own risk assessment with respect to their flight operations.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is handholding and interacting with the airlines, and also in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs, he added.
The Secretary was responding to a query on whether there is an advisory by the Ministry or the DGCA to airlines amid the crisis in the Middle East.
Air India is operating some of its international flights on alternative flight paths to and from India, and Vistara has also made changes to flight paths for some of its flights due to the Middle East situation.
Also, Air India has temporarily suspended its flights to Tel Aviv.
The alternative flight paths have increased the duration of some of the international flights by around half an hour.
During the weekend, Iran launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel in a retaliatory attack. On Monday, Israel said it will respond to Iran’s weekend attack. (Source: PTI)
