A pilot association has urged the government and the civil aviation regulator to suspend operations in high-risk conflict zones in Gulf countries until a centralised and authoritative risk assessment is conducted amid the West Asia crisis. The Airline Pilots’ Association of India (Alpa India) raised this demand in a letter to the secretary in the civil aviation ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), citing the risk to the safety of passengers, flight crew and aircraft. ADVERTISEMENTThe airspace in the Gulf region has been disrupted frequently owing to the ongoing war. “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. Delegating this responsibility to individual operators exposes flight crew and passengers to potentially catastrophic risks without a robust and uniform safety framework, the association said, urging the civil aviation ministry and the DGCA to intervene.

Source: The Telegraph March 29, 2026 01:52 UTC