US, Israel Attack Iran: DGCA Issues Advisory For Indian Air Operators, Ayatollah Khamenei Death Fuels Tensions

US, Israel Attack Iran: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on late Saturday, issued an urgent safety advisory to all Indian air operators as the US and Israel carried out air strikes on Iran. The civil aviation watchdog issued an urgent warning of heightened risks to aviation in the Middle East.

Middle East Tensions further heightened after US President Donald Trump, late night on Saturday, announced that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in air strikes. The state-run Iran media agency, IRNA news, has also confirmed Khamenei's death, which sparked further escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Indian operators have been warned about increased risks to civil aviation in the Middle east and Persian Gulf.

DGCA Issues Advisory Amid Rising Middle East Tensions

The DGCA issued an advisory to all Indian air operators, warning of heightened risks to civil aviation in the Middle East and Persian Gulf airspace. The warning came after the aviation safety regulator reviewed the Conflict Zone Information Bulletin published by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The recent Israel and US attacks on Iran have created a high-risk operating environment for civil aircraft, as per the EASA bulletin. The DGCA, in its guidelines, has underlined multiple critical hazards and risks in the ongoing situation. DGCA has flagged possible retaliatory attacks that may affect Iranian airspace and neighbouring states. The presence of advanced weaponry such as cruise and ballistic missiles, all-altitude air defence systems, and military air assets, as well as the risk of misidentifying civil aircraft or operational errors during military interception procedures.

."The current situation presents the following critical hazards to civil flight operations: Retaliatory Actions: Potential attacks against U.S. and Israeli assets in the region, affecting both Iranian airspace and neighboring states; Weaponry Capabilities: The presence of all-altitude capable air-defense systems, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and military air assets; Operational Errors: High probability of "spill-over" risks, including misidentification of civil aircraft, miscalculation, or failure of military interception procedures," the advisory read.

Ministry of Civil Aviation Set Up 24x7 Control Room

In the wake of the ongoing situation in the Middle East, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has set up a 24x7 Passenger Assistance Control Room to review preparedeness in view of the evolving airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East.

Passenger Safety Advisory

Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had urged Indian passengers to maintain utmost safety and caution while planning travel.
"Due to evolving airspace restrictions over Iran and parts of the Middle East, flight operations to and from the Middle East are currently impacted. Passengers are advised to check and confirm their flight status with their respective airlines before proceeding to the airport," read a post by DGCA on X.