400+ Flights Cancelled In India Amid Iran-Israel Conflict; Chaos At Airports As Hundreds Of Passengers Left Stranded

New Delhi: India’s aviation sector has been plunged into a state of emergency as the Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed that over 444 international flights were cancelled on Sunday, March 1, 2026. 

The massive disruption comes after a surge in military hostilities in the Middle East, leading to the closure of critical air corridors over Iran, Iraq, and parts of the Gulf countries.

Major hubs, including Delhi’s IGI, Mumbai’s CSMIA, and Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), reported scenes of significant distress as thousands of passengers found themselves stranded with little to no prior notice.

In a post on X, the MoCA stated that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is in complete coordination with all concerned airlines to ensure passenger safety and operational regulations.

"Due to airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East, 410 flights of domestic carriers were cancelled on 28 February, and 444 flights are expected to be cancelled on 1 March. DGCA is maintaining close coordination with airlines to ensure full compliance with safety and operational regulations," the post read.

A Nationwide Grounding

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an urgent safety advisory, valid through March 2, prompting domestic carriers to suspend nearly all westbound operations.

As of now, a total of 100 flights, 60 departing flights and 40 arriving flights, have been cancelled at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, according to sources.

Similarly, 125 flights, 67 departing flights and 58 arriving flights have also been cancelled at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, according to airport sources.

At Tiruchirappalli International Airport, 17 arrivals and 16 departures have been cancelled for March 1 and 3 arrivals and 2 departures are cancelled for March 2.

Due to airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East, Air India Express have cancelled over 110 flights.

Meanwhile, International flights such as Emirates have temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai until 1500hrs UAE time on Monday, 2 March.

Flight operations at Hamad International Airport in Doha remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.

SriLankan Airlines has also cancelled 12 flights due to the airspace closure in the region.

The national carrier, Air India, cancelled over 50 international services on Sunday. Impacted routes include high-traffic sectors from Delhi and Mumbai to London, Paris, Frankfurt, New York, and Chicago.

India’s largest airline, IndiGo, extended its suspension of Middle East-bound flights until midnight on Monday. Over 190 IndiGo flights have been scrapped, affecting passengers travelling to Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, and Istanbul.

At Bengaluru airport, 37 flights were cancelled, while Hyderabad and Mumbai recorded 44 and 98 cancellations respectively. Even smaller international gateways like Amritsar saw a SpiceJet flight to Dubai recalled mid-air after refuelling.

Frequent flight cancellations and disruptions, particularly at Kangra airport, have left visitors anxious over travel plans and return journeys, highlighting the growing impact of tensions in West Asia on global travel.

Several flight operations have been disrupted at the Amritsar airport following escalating tensions and reported conflict in parts of the Gulf region, officials said on Sunday.

Amritsar Airport Director Bhupinder Singh added that five flights were affected, including a SpiceJet flight to Dubai that was recalled midair after refuelling, and an IndiGo flight from Amritsar, which was diverted to Surat.

Bhupinder Singh said, "Yesterday, five flights were cancelled. 2 flights were cancelled on the ground. 2 other flights had taken off; one was SpiceJet for Dubai, which was in midair and was called back to Amritsar around 7 PM after refuelling. The other flight was IndiGo 6E 147 from Amritsar, which was diverted to Surat Airport. Another flight, Air Express, which was on the ground, and passengers de-boarded. Another Indigo flight coming from Sharjah to Amritsar was cancelled. Another Air India flight to Birmingham got cancelled."

The cancellations come amid heightened hostilities in the Middle East after coordinated military strikes involving Israel and the United States targeted Iranian sites, triggering retaliatory threats and airspace shutdowns in Iran, Israel and Iraq.

Stranded Passengers and "Sky-High" Fares

Visuals circulating on social media show crowded terminals and long queues at help desks. Many travellers, particularly those transiting through Gulf hubs like Bahrain or Dubai to reach Europe and the US, reported being deboarded or left without rebooking options.

"We were trying to fly back to the US via Bahrain, but our flight was cancelled without any message or email," said one passenger at Mumbai airport. 

“The authorities are telling us flights won't resume until the situation stabilises, but our lives and jobs are on the other side of this conflict,” said another.

The disruption has also triggered a massive spike in airfares. One-way tickets from India to London, which typically cost around Rs 40,000–Rs 60,000, were reportedly selling for as much as Rs 1.4 lakh ($1,700) as travellers scrambled for the few remaining seats on rerouted flights via Central Asia or Southeast Asia.

Israeli tourist Vila expressed her concerns over disrupted travel plans. "I was supposed to continue this morning to Israel, but my flight got cancelled. I continued here and am trying to find a way to get back home. People in Israel are in shelters and in Israel, and we have shelters almost in every home. If I get an opportunity, the only message I can give out is that all humanity is one, and my deepest prayers for peace. I will find some ways to go back, but it may take some days," she said.

Expressing concerns about possible flight cancellations, Surender Aggarwal, an NRI, said, "I just came to visit Dharamshala and our flights back home are in the week. The current war situation is worrying, and any cancellations of international flights would affect our personal programme. And we hope that the war doesn't continue and the international airports remain open."

Highlighting the impact on tourists' itineraries, Dr. Vinay Gupta, a surgeon from Delhi, said, "Certainly it has a great impact on tourists because they have a certain period to visit this place and if any flight gets cancelled then it is very difficult for them to complete their tour in the same duration so the government and the responsible bodies should take care of passengers because the flights are getting cancelled due to war or international problem. There is no impact on the domestic flights, but others are facing problems."

Rashid Khan, one of the stranded passengers, told ANI that the airport authorities cited the ongoing conflict as the reason behind the cancellation. "The reason the airport authority gave me was the Iran-Israel war. My flight is cancelled," he said. Khan was scheduled to travel from Delhi to Bengaluru and onward to Abu Dhabi. "They gave me the option of another city. I chose my city. My route was Delhi to Bangalore and Bangalore to Abu Dhabi. Now it is cancelled," he added, expressing frustration over the sudden change in plans.

Another passenger at the airport said uncertainty continues over when operations will resume. "Authorities are saying that the flights will not be resumed until the ceasefire is in place there. We have to go there. Our office and everything are there. We are going to Italy directly from Bahrain. Now, there is no flight for Bahrain," the passenger said.

Operational Challenges and Rerouting

Airlines are being forced to take significantly longer routes. Flights to Europe that normally cross Iranian or Iraqi airspace are now being diverted through a narrow corridor over the Arabian Sea and then north through Egyptian or Mediterranean airspace, adding 2 to 4 hours of flight time and increasing fuel costs.

Airlines like IndiGo and Air India Express have announced full flexibility and fee waivers for passengers booked until March 5, allowing them to reschedule or claim full refunds. 

However, for those already at the airport with expired visas or urgent work commitments, these waivers offer little immediate relief.

As the geopolitical situation remains fluid, the Ministry of Civil Aviation continues to monitor the "NOTAMs" (Notice to Airmen) issued by Middle Eastern nations. 

For now, Indian travellers are advised to verify their flight status before leaving for the airport, as the ripple effects of the Gulf escalation continue to paralyse international travel.

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