Artery to westbound flights choked| India News
More than a third of India’s international air traffic ground to a halt on Sunday as Iranian missile and drone strikes forced the closure of the Gulf’s three great aviation hubs, severing the corridor through which the vast majority of India’s westbound flights — to the Middle East, Europe and North America’s East Coast — are routed. Stranded passengers wait outside a terminal, amid cancellation of flights to the Middle East due to the US and Israel strikes on Iran, at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, in New Delhi. (PTI) The ministry of civil aviation said a total of 350 flights operated by Indian carriers had been cancelled on Sunday and the government “is in close coordination with airlines, airport operators and other stakeholders to proactively monitor the situation and facilitate necessary passenger support”. A June 2025 report by the International Air Transport Association found that the Middle East accounts for 39.2% of all India’s international passenger traffic — 14.9 million travellers in 2024, more than any other region. That corridor runs through a …









