Chennai: Flight operations to and from West Asia destinations were disrupted on Saturday after a sudden escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran, with several flights from Chennai to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha cancelled through Sunday.At least 14 flights, five on Saturday and nine until 8am on Sunday, operated by different airlines, were cancelled, while uncertainty gripped those who booked flights for the later hours on Sunday. Three flights that were to arrive from Bahrain, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi between 8pm and 8.40pm were also cancelled. Oman Air flight to Muscat, which departed from Chennai airport at 2.20pm on Saturday, was the first to be diverted back due to airspace restrictions in West Asia. The flight was later cancelled. Soon, Qatar Airways’ Chennai-Abu Dhabi flight, scheduled for 4.10pm, was cancelled, followed by Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi from Chennai at 9.40pm. The Emirates flight to Dubai, scheduled for 9.45pm, was postponed and then cancelled.Indian carriers Air India and Indigo soon announced the cancellation of flights to West Asia destinations. Air India’s flight to Dubai from Chennai, scheduled at 6.45pm on Saturday, was cancelled.Air India instructed passengers to check its official website for the latest updates on flight operations. “In view of the developing situation in parts of the Middle East, all Air India flights to all destinations in the Middle East are suspended,” it said.Indigo said it cancelled all its flights to West Asia and a few other international routes until 6pm on Sunday, and assured that updates would be communicated promptly via registered contact details. International airlines such as Oman Air, Air Arabia, Emirates, and Qatar Airways advised passengers to stay up to date with latest flight alerts.Sources said Muscat did not allow flights into its flight information region (FIR) if they were to exit into Emirates FIR. “It accepted only those flights that will exit Muscat into Jeddah, resulting in congestion. Many flights that departed from India were returning from Muscat FIR,” said sources.The services cancelled at Chennai airport on Sunday included Indigo’s Doha flight at 3.40am and Dubai flight at 6.20am, and Air Arabia’s Sharjah flight at 3.45am and Abu Dhabi flight at 4.50am. Etihad’s flight to Dubai at 3.55am, Emirates’s flight to Dubai at 3.50am, Qatar Airways’s flight to Doha at 4.05am, Gulf Air’s flight to Bahrain at 5.35am, and Oman Air’s flight to Muscat at 7.20am were also cancelled.
