New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Monday informed the Lok Sabha that thousands of flights have been cancelled by Indian and foreign airlines due to the ongoing tensions in West Asia. Speaking during the sixth day of the ongoing Parliamentary Budget Session, the minister said that Indian carriers have cancelled more than 4,335 flights while foreign airlines cancelled up to 1,187 flights because of the crisis in the region.

Naidu said that passenger safety remains the top priority for the government and airlines.He explained that flights cannot operate when the airspace in conflict-affected areas is closed.“Indian carriers have cancelled 4,335 flights and foreign carriers have cancelled up to 1,187 flights. The first thing we have to remember is safety. If the airspace itself is closed, there is no need for us to operate in this area,” he said.

Despite the disruption caused by the situation in West Asia, the minister said that a large number of people have still travelled during this period.“Nearly 2,19,780 passengers travelled during the time when tensions were high in the region,” he stated.Naidu also said that India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the aviation ministry are in constant contact with authorities in the affected regions to monitor the situation.

He added that flights will resume normally only when the airspace in those areas reopens, noting that several regions are still facing restrictions due to the ongoing tensions.Meanwhile, last week, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that India currently has more than 11,000 pilots working with major domestic airlines, with nearly 1,900 of them being women. In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on March 12, Mohol stated that Indian airlines together employ 11,394 pilots, including 1,871 female pilots.

/IANS