The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA India) on Friday raised serious safety concerns over the continued operation of commercial flights to regions affected by the ongoing West Asia conflict. The body warned that such services pose a significant risk to human life and called for immediate government intervention.
In a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilots’ body cautioned against operating flights “into or in close proximity to an active war zone”, describing it as a grave threat to passengers, crew and aircraft.
“Operating flights into, or in close proximity to, an active war zone constitutes a serious and unacceptable risk to the safety of passengers, flight crew, and aircraft. In our considered view, such decisions amount to wilful endangerment of human life,” ALPA India said.
ALPA raised issue for second time in 10 days
The association noted that it had first flagged the issue on March 18. A day later, the DGCA issued a safety advisory directing airlines to undertake their own risk assessments before operating in the region. However, ALPA India criticised the approach, arguing that risk evaluation in conflict zones should be led by governments and specialised agencies rather than individual carriers.
“Commercial airlines do not possess the requisite intelligence, surveillance capabilities, or geopolitical risk assessment infrastructure necessary to adequately evaluate threats in active conflict environments,” the letter stated.
According to ALPA India, delegating such responsibility to operators could lead to inconsistent safety standards and expose passengers and crew to potentially catastrophic risks.
No clarity on war risk insurance coverage
ALPA India also raised concerns over the absence of clarity on war risk insurance coverage for pilots and crew operating in high-risk zones. “Pilots have been actively seeking clarification regarding the status and validity of their insurance coverage while operating into such high-risk zones. To date, no documentary evidence or formal assurance has been provided to confirm that adequate war-risk insurance coverage remains valid,” the association said.
The pilots’ body has urged the DGCA and the government to take a more proactive role in assessing risks and ensuring uniform safety standards amid the escalating conflict in West Asia.
DGCA grounds 11 airspaces
The DGCA on March 20 issued an extraordinary safety advisory directing all Indian airlines to avoid 11 West Asian Flight Information Regions (FIRs), covering Iran, Israel, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza, Yemen, parts of Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz corridor. The move came after fresh US-Israel strikes on Iranian Revolutionary Guard facilities triggered retaliatory missile attacks and at least two near-miss incidents involving cargo aircraft.
Airlines were asked to submit revised flight plans within 12 hours and keep 24×7 crisis management teams on standby.
West Asia war disrupts Indian aviation
The conflict triggered one of the largest aviation disruptions India has seen in recent years. By mid-March, over 5,500 flights had been cancelled in total, 4,335 by Indian carriers and 1,187 by foreign airlines, primarily due to airspace closures, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu told the Rajya Sabha. On March 1 alone, 350 Indian carrier flights were cancelled in a single day.