Two Air India flights flew over Iran airspace a few hours before Israel attack
New York to Mumbai and from Mumbai to London, respectively, on April 13 and April 14 above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman when the shadow of a conflict between Iran and Israel loomed large, showed data by Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights. Iran attacked Israel over the weekend, firing at least 300 drones and missiles. Iran’s military assault was expected for days after tensions between the two countries ratcheted up on April 1, when fighter jets struck a building that is part of the Iranian Embassy at Damascus in Syria.
The Air India planes, a Boeing 777-232 and Boeing 777ER, can accommodate roughly 280 and 330 passengers. A spokesman for Air India said the airline accords top priority to the safety of its passengers, crew and aircraft. “Our flight operations plan, regardless of airspace, is risk-assessed and we do not make any compromise with safety issues," he said.
In the two instances that HT.com cited, the spokesman said the airline categorically denied any compromise on safety. “From 13th April 2024, even while the Iranian airspace was available to civilian air traffic without any restrictions or NOTAM and airlines continued operating in that airspace, Air India was closely monitoring the developing the situation in the Middle East in close consultation with various safety organisations and regulatory bodies. As part of our risk assessment some of our west-bound flights were planned on an alternative route along the safe corridor which was also used by other airlines." A NOTAM, or notice to airmen, is an alert issued by an aviation authority to pilots about potential hazards along a route or on ground.
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