Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu informed the Lok Sabha on Monday that Indian carriers have cancelled more than 4,335 flights due to the escalating tensions in West Asia. Speaking on the sixth day of the Parliamentary Budget Session, the minister added that foreign airlines have also cancelled approximately 1,187 flights. He emphasized that passenger safety remains the government’s paramount concern, explaining that operations are impossible when the airspace over conflict-affected regions is closed or restricted.
Despite these widespread cancellations, the minister noted that a significant number of travelers—approximately 219,780 passengers—managed to travel during the period of high tension. The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are maintaining constant communication with international authorities to monitor the situation in real-time. Naidu clarified that normal flight operations will only resume once the relevant airspaces are officially declared safe and reopened for commercial traffic.
In a related update regarding the strength of the Indian aviation sector, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, shared that India now employs 11,394 pilots across its major domestic airlines. Notably, nearly 1,900 of these pilots are women, reflecting a significant trend toward gender diversity in the industry. While the current geopolitical crisis presents a logistical challenge, the government maintains that the foundational infrastructure and workforce of Indian aviation remain robust and ready to resume full capacity once the regional situation stabilizes.
