With the conflict in West Asia intensifying, Tata group airline Air India has halted all its operations to the region as well as to and from Europe and the east coast of North America with immediate effect until further notice.

The announcement came close on the heels of Monday night’s missile attack by Iran targeting an American military base in Qatar, which led to various West Asian nations closing their airspace. This led to numerous flights headed for key hub airports such as Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi diverting to other airports, with a few returning to their origin airports. Several flights were also cancelled. Among the affected flights were those of Indian airlines like Air India, Air India Express, and IndiGo, according to flight tracking data.

It was unclear for how long the airspace closures would be in place, although some analysts expressed hope that the suspensions would be short-lived, with flights resuming in the affected airspaces within a few hours. The situation, however, remains fragile amid the escalating conflict in the region.

While Air India has announced the suspension of its services to various regions west of India, considering that flying there would entail overflying West Asia, other Indian airlines issued advisories to passengers, cautioning them that their flights in the region could see delays or diversions.