Delhi-bound IndiGo flight skirts Iran airspace moments before closure

(Representative image)

• IndiGo flight 6E1808 was the last non-Iran plane to cross Iranian airspace before closure.
• Iran closed airspace for 4 hours, leading to flight diversions and cancellations.
• Airlines rerouted or canceled flights due to unexpected closure.

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A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight narrowly avoided getting caught in Iranian airspace just minutes before Tehran abruptly shut its skies, triggering widespread disruption to international air travel.

Flight-tracking data shows IndiGo flight 6E1808, which departed Tbilisi in Georgia, crossed Iranian airspace around 2.35 am on Thursday.

IndiGo flight 6E1808 is now the last non-Iran-registered passenger aircraft in Iranian airspace. pic.twitter.com/RYMbKGrz4v

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 14, 2026

The closure reportedly came into effect at about 3 am, making the aircraft one of the last non-Iran-registered passenger flights to transit the region before Iran’s aviation authorities issued a Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, halting most flight movements.

According to pilot guidance issued by Iran, the airspace closure lasted for more than four hours. Iran sits on a crucial east-west aviation corridor, and the sudden shutdown forced several international carriers to divert routes north and south of the country. After one extension, the restriction appeared to expire, with some domestic Iranian flights resuming shortly after 7 am.

The shutdown comes amid widespread protests in Iran against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and rising tensions with the United States. Iran has previously closed its airspace during the 12-day conflict with Israel in June and during exchanges of fire amid the Israel-Hamas war. While there were no immediate signs of active hostilities this time, the move sent shockwaves through global aviation due to Iran’s strategic location.

“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” aviation risk-monitoring website SafeAirspace said. “The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defence, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.”

Indian carriers were among those hit by the disruption. Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet confirmed rerouting and cancellations of several international flights. Air India cancelled early morning services, including Delhi to New York JFK (AI 101), Delhi to Newark (AI 105), and Mumbai to New York JFK (AI 119), along with their return sectors.

IndiGo’s Baku-Delhi flight was forced to return to Azerbaijan within an hour of departure as it was scheduled to overfly Iran after crossing the Caspian Sea.

“Due to the emerging situation in Iran and the subsequent closure of its airspace, Air India flights overflying the region are now using an alternative routing, which may lead to delays,” Air India said in a post on X, adding that some flights were being cancelled where rerouting was not feasible.

IndiGo said some of its international flights were impacted and that teams were working to support affected passengers by offering alternative options. SpiceJet issued a similar advisory, attributing flight disruptions to the Iranian airspace closure.

International carriers were also affected. Lufthansa said it would operate flights to and from Tel Aviv and Amman only as day services from January 15 to January 19, 2026, citing the situation in the Middle East. The airline added that Iranian and Iraqi airspace would be avoided by all Lufthansa Group airlines until further notice, with some cancellations possible.