West Asia tensions: Air India closely monitoring situation; Lufthansa cancels 2 flights on Wednesday

Officials in the know said Air India and Vistara have stopped using the Iranian airspace sometime back. Air India has already suspended flights to Tel Aviv (Israel) till further notice.

Amid escalating tensions in West Asia, some flights from Europe to India have been impacted, while Air India is monitoring the situation closely, according to officials.

German carrier Lufthansa on Wednesday cancelled its flights from Hyderabad to Frankfurt (LH753/01) and from Mumbai to Frankfurt (LH757/01) due to current situation in West Asia.

This follows the airline cancelling the services from Frankfurt to Hyderabad and Mumbai on Tuesday.

"Passengers have been rerouted or accommodated," Jeffrey James, Head of Lufthansa Group Communications - Asia Pacific told PTI on Wednesday.

Lufthansa operates around 65 weekly flights from Europe to India.

Officials in the know said Air India and Vistara have stopped using the Iranian airspace sometime back.

An Air India official on Wednesday said it assesses all flights daily for any potential security or safety risks whether it is in the Middle East or any other part of its route network.

"Adjustments are made, if required, to avoid areas of risk with minimal impact on our non-stop operations. The situation is being monitored closely," the official said.

Air India has already suspended flights to Tel Aviv (Israel) till further notice.

The airline flies to 44 international destinations, including various European cities, while Vistara has direct services to Paris, Frankfurt and London.

Some European carriers have changed their routes to fly to India.

LOT Polish Airlines' flight from Warsaw to Delhi is not using the Iranian airspace on Wednesday. The flight had flown through the Iranian airspace on September 30, as per data from flight tracking website Flightradar24.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa Group's Jeffrey James said its flights will continue to avoid Israeli airspace up to and including October 31.

Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated and India has called for restraint by all sides and said the conflict must not take a wider regional dimension.

European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Wednesday issued a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin recommending operators not to perform flights in the airspace of Iran at all flight levels.

After consultations with the European Union, EASA said it has issued the bulletin in view of the Iranian attack against Israel on October 1 and Israel's announcement of its intention to retaliate.

"EASA will continue to monitor the situation closely, to assess whether there is an increase or decrease of risks for EU aircraft operators as a result of the evolution of the threat," it said in a statement.