Amid soaring tensions between Israel and Iran, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flight to the G7 Summit in Canada has been forced to take a significant detour. The escalating conflict has thrown air traffic in West Asia into disarray, prompting countries to shut down airspaces and airlines to cancel or reroute flights. Even VIP travel is being affected, with PM Modi’s specially designated aircraft, Air India One, now set for a longer-than-usual journey due to regional airspace closures.
The Prime Minister will embark on a three-nation tour that includes Cyprus and Croatia, besides his G7 summit in Canada. He is scheduled to depart from Delhi on Sunday morning around 7:30 am and will first land in Larnaca, Cyprus, by 3:00 pm. The route to Cyprus would typically pass through airspaces of Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. However, with all these corridors either shut or deemed unsafe, a longer detour has been charted.
The alternative route through UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan also remains uncertain amid regional instability. Indian aircraft have already been restricted from using Pakistani airspace since Operation Sindoor conducted from May 7 to 10. Sources confirm that these restrictions extend even to VIP flights such as Air India One.
As a result, the Delhi-to-Larnaca leg of the Prime Minister’s journey, which normally takes 8-9 hours, is expected to take longer. Following his 24-hour stop in Cyprus, Modi will continue to Canada on June 16, bypassing the conflict-ridden airspace over Russia and Ukraine.
The aerial crisis intensified following Israel’s airstrikes on Iran on June 13. With several countries closing their skies to civilian flights, air routes between India and destinations in Europe and North America have become more complex. Passengers are now facing extended flight durations and rising fares. Sources estimate that flight times have gone up by one to two hours, while operating costs for airlines have surged by nearly 12 percent. Indian carriers such as Air India and IndiGo have already cancelled over a dozen international flights due to the unstable airspace.
