Bengaluru airport faces major disruptions, 16 international flights cancelled amid Middle East tensions: Report

Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport has seen the cancellation of 16 international flights due to unrest in the Middle East.

International flight operations at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru have faced a significant shake-up this week, as unrest in parts of the Middle East forced the closure of key air spaces, prompting multiple cancellations and diversions, The Hindu reported.

Gambhir, who returned to India after seven years in the San Francisco Bay Area, was impressed by Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport.

A total of 16 international flights, six inbound and 10 outbound, were cancelled, disrupting travel plans for hundreds of passengers. Airport officials told the publication that the disruptions were directly linked to restricted airspace across the Gulf region, a ripple effect of escalating geopolitical tensions.

Cancelled arrivals to Bengaluru included:

1. Three IndiGo services from Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Jeddah
2. A Kuwait Airways flight from Kuwait City
3. An Akasa Air flight from Abu Dhabi, and 
4. An Air India service from London. 

Cancelled departures from Bengaluru included: 

1. Four IndiGo flights to Gulf destinations
2. A Kuwait Airways flight to Kuwait
3. Akasa’s outbound service to Abu Dhabi
4. Two Air India Express flights to Dammam and Abu Dhabi
5. Gulf Air’s flight to Bahrain, and 
6. An Air India flight to London.

Diversions:

Five international flights originally bound for Doha’s Hamad International Airport were rerouted to Bengaluru due to the temporary closure of Qatari airspace, the report said. These included Qatar Airways services from Osaka, Phuket, Jakarta, and Hong Kong, as well as a Virgin Australia flight from Sydney. The aircraft resumed their journeys after the airspace reopened, at around 3 am, the report stated.

In similar news, Air India has announced several changes in their flight schedule, including cancellations, reduction in frequency and diversions, including cancellations of two of its international services from Bengaluru. A non-stop service to San Francisco, and a London-bound flight were recently cancelled from Bengaluru.