Israel-Iran Tensions Hit Air Travel: Hyderabad Airport Cancels 18 Flights
As tensions continued to escalate in the Middle East, as many as 18 flights at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad were cancelled on Monday and Tuesday (June 23 and 24).
The disruption occurred after authorities in Qatar and the UAE temporarily closed their airspace, following Iran’s missile strikes on US military bases in Qatar.
As a result, nine inbound and nine outbound flights were affected at the Hyderabad international airport.
On Monday, three IndiGo flights bound for Doha (6E 1317) in Qatar, Jeddah (6E 067), and Dammam (6E 085) in Saudi Arabia were cancelled.
On Tuesday, flights en route to Muscat (6E 1273); Abu Dhabi (6E 1448 and 6E 1407); Kuwait (KU 374); Doha (6E 1313); and Dubai (6E 1465) were also cancelled.
Arrivals to Hyderabad were similarly affected. Flights from Doha (6E 1316), Kuwait (KU 373), Bahrain (6E 1496), and Dammam (6E 086) were cancelled.
Eventually, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates reopened their airspace and resumed operations on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Qatar summoned the Iranian Ambassador and conveyed its strong condemnation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attack on the Al Udeid Air Base on Monday night. The Qatari government stated that the attack was a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and airspace, as well as international law and the United Nations Charter.
