Flight operations between Chennai and several West Asia destinations were disrupted on Saturday following a sudden escalation in tensions between Israel and Iran. Multiple services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were cancelled through Sunday morning, leaving passengers uncertain about later departures.
Airport sources said at least 14 flights were cancelled — five on Saturday and nine up to 8am on Sunday — across different airlines. Three inbound flights from Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi scheduled between 8pm and 8.40pm on Saturday were also cancelled.
Oman Air’s Chennai–Muscat service, which departed at 2.20pm on Saturday, was the first to be diverted back due to airspace restrictions in West Asia, and was later cancelled. Subsequent cancellations included Qatar Airways’ Chennai–Abu Dhabi flight scheduled for 4.10pm, Etihad’s Abu Dhabi service at 9.40pm, and an Emirates Dubai flight that was postponed before being cancelled.
Indian carriers also announced suspensions. Air India cancelled its Chennai–Dubai flight scheduled for 6.45pm and asked passengers to check its website, stating that all its flights to Middle East destinations were suspended due to the developing situation. IndiGo said it cancelled all flights to West Asia and a few other international routes until 6pm on Sunday, and would share updates via registered contact details.
Sources attributed the disruption to airspace and routing constraints, including restrictions linked to flight information regions (FIRs), which led to congestion and turn-backs. On Sunday, cancellations at Chennai included IndiGo flights to Doha (3.40am) and Dubai (6.20am), Air Arabia services to Sharjah (3.45am) and Abu Dhabi (4.50am), and flights by Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Gulf Air and Oman Air to destinations including Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Muscat.
