India asks its airlines to assess flight operation risks as Middle East flares up

INDIA'S civil aviation ministry has asked the country's airlines to conduct their respective risk assessment on international flight operations amid growing tensions in the Middle East where Iran launched air attacks on regional foe Israel on Saturday (13).

Air India, Vistara, IndiGo and various international airlines have opted for alternative flight paths to the West and are avoiding Iranian airspace against the backdrop of the growing regional crisis.

Israel said it will respond to Iran's weekend attack, alarming the international community.

The latest attack has come when Israel is engaged in a deadly conflict with Palestinian militant outfit Hamas.

Vumlunmang Vualnam, India's civil aviation secretary, on Tuesday told news agency Press Trust of India that airlines have been asked to make their own risk assessment with respect to their flight operations.

The country's civil aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is handholding and interacting with the airlines, and also in touch with the external affairs ministry, 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, Israel.

The alternative flight paths have increased the duration of some of the international flights by around half an hour.

About the Middle East crisis, Suprio Banerjee, vice president & sector head, Corporate Ratings at ICRA, said commercial airlines may have to take a longer route in order to comply with no-fly regulations, leading to higher fuel expenses.

"This will also impact international air travel to the directly affected and potentially affected nearby geographies during the upcoming summer holiday season if the issue persists," Banerjee said.

Manan Bajoria, Group VP Growth at travel portal ixigo, said re-routing of flights due to the current geopolitical tensions can result in longer routes and higher expenses for airlines that run flights to and from Europe, Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

"Lengthy diversions will add to airline fuel costs and may lead to an increase in airfares across these routes," Bajoria said.

Banerjee also said the ongoing geopolitical developments in the Middle East region will continue to exert pressure on crude oil prices and, in turn, on ATF prices, which have been on an elevated level compared to the pre-Covid-19 era.

(With PTI inputs)