Afghanistan crisis: Air India Chicago-Delhi flight diverted due to Afghan airspace closure

New Delhi: As the situation in Afghanistan worsens, an Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi was diverted on Monday (August 16, 2021) due to the shutdown of Afghan airspace. According to reports, Air India’s AI 126 Chicago-Delhi flight was diverted to Gulf airspace.

According to a flight-tracking website, the Air India flight from Chicago to Delhi changed course and left Afghanistan’s airspace shortly after entering. However, no formal statements have been made on the matter as of yet.

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) has announced that Kabul airspace has been made available to the military, and it has instructed transit flights to divert. Some airline route switches have apparently been accelerated as a result of this.

Previously, United Airlines, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic had stopped utilizing Afghan airspace. Emirates has also halted flights to Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, until further notice.

It should be highlighted that commercial flights scheduled to land in Afghanistan have also been impacted by the ground instability. The situation in the war-torn country has deteriorated since Taliban insurgents took possession of Kabul’s presidential palace on Sunday.