Friday, October 4, 2024 Iran ‘s missile attack on Israel on October 1 has sent shockwaves through the global civil aviation industry, significantly affecting international flight operations, including those connecting India to various destinations. As tensions escalated following Iran’s retaliatory strike against Israeli targets, airlines scrambled to adjust their flight paths. Many, including prominent carriers like Lufthansa and Air India, were forced to alter routes to avoid the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel.
Mid-Flight Diversions On the night of the attack, several flights were already airborne. Lufthansa’s flights from Frankfurt to both Mumbai and Hyderabad, designated LH756 and LH752, turned back from Turkish airspace to avoid entering Iranian airspace amid the escalating conflict. Similarly, Polish airline LOT’s flight LO75 from Warsaw to Mumbai was diverted to Baku, Azerbaijan, while Air India’s AIC128 managed to continue its journey to Mumbai despite passing through Iranian airspace at the time.
Following the attack, Lufthansa announced the cancellation of its flights from Hyderabad to Frankfurt and Mumbai to Frankfurt on October 2, attributing the decision to the ongoing tensions in the region. “Passengers have been rerouted or accommodated,” said Jeffrey James, Head of Lufthansa Group Communications for Asia Pacific. Redrawing Flight Paths In light of the heightened risks, many airlines, especially those operating between India and Europ.
