Indian Pilots Urge Flight Suspensions to UAE and Gulf

The Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA India) urged the Indian government to immediately suspend commercial flights to the United Arab Emirates and other high-risk Gulf destinations. In a July 20 letter to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the association warned that escalating conflict in West Asia and explicit threats targeting aviation hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi pose severe risks to civil aviation.

ALPA India cited several critical hazards, including GPS interference, missile engagements, and the potential for misidentification by military forces. The association noted that flight crews suffer from limited tactical intelligence in these volatile environments. These concerns follow renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran, as well as strikes by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, which have repeatedly disrupted global aviation and increased operating costs for carriers.

The association demanded that national security and intelligence agencies conduct a comprehensive threat assessment before any operations to these regions resume.