India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued an immediate advisory asking airlines to avoid nine Middle East airspaces — Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — citing a high-risk environment for civil aviation after recent military strikes and announced retaliatory measures. The advisory is effective immediately and, according to the regulator, will remain valid until March 28 unless reviewed or superseded by further developments.
The DGCA asked carriers to “refrain from operating within the affected airspace…at all flight levels and altitudes.” It said any decision to continue operations in those airspaces would be left to the operator based on their own safety risk assessment. Operators were also instructed to keep flight crews informed of the latest NOTAMs and any airspace restrictions affecting aircraft already airborne.
Indian carriers may continue to operate over the airspace of Oman and Saudi Arabia, but only under specified conditions. The regulator told airlines not to operate below FL320 (32,000 feet) within the portions of Saudi and Omani airspace located south of the segments defined by certain compulsory reporting points, as detailed in the advisory.
The DGCA emphasized that flights to airports within the affected region — where other international carriers may still be operating — must include “robust contingency planning to cover all eventualities, as part of the safety risk assessments by the operators.” This planning should factor into operators’ decisions about routing, fuel planning and crew briefings.
NOTAMs (Notice to Airmen) provide real-time updates on airspace and airport conditions; the DGCA specifically advised operators to ensure crews receive the latest NOTAM information before and during flights.
The advisory frames the current situation as presenting “critical hazards to civil flight operations” following strikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets and Iran’s announced responses, and places the responsibility on airlines to assess and mitigate risks while the restriction remains in force.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-israel-iran-war-live-updates-iran-strikes-qatar-ras-laffan-lng-gulf-energy-sites-south-pars-oil-prices-strait-hormuz-iran-targets-gulf-energy-sites-11235957#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-03-21 03:41:00
