From fatal plane crash to bomb scare and flight diversions amid Iran-Israel conflict — a series of disruptions over the past 48 hours have rattled air travellers.
Many are seeking details about aircraft types and safety records before their trips, while business travelers are either rescheduling flights or postponing plans, say travel agents. These worries, however, haven't led to a drop in flight bookings so far and cancellations remain minimal.
"We are seeing a noticeable increase in inquiries from travellers who are understandably concerned and seeking reassurance before they embark on their journeys," said Ravi Gosain, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators. "As rare and devastating incidents like this occur, they inevitably impact passenger confidence and behaviour. However, we have not witnessed cancellations attributable to these unfortunate events."
Travellers are seen becoming more vigilant. "Several passengers are calling to double check flight details, aircraft models and safety records," said Gosain. While it is too early to fully assess the long-term impact on travel behaviour, he expects the "psychological effect" to be significant.
The back-to-back flight disruptions have placed temporary pressure on international routes, said Karan Agarwal, director of Cox & Kings. "We are witnessing a spike in rescheduling and assistance requests, particularly from travelers affected by unscheduled layovers and extended delays."
As many as 242 people were on board flight AI 171 when it crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport. Just one person survived.
Hours after the mishap, the operations of Indian carriers were thrown into disarray after Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel closed their airspace. This forced significant detours, delays, cancellations, and flight recalls, particularly affecting routes to Europe and North America. Air India had to recall or reroute at least 16 flights on the transatlantic and European routes.
In a statement, the Tata Group airline stated that AI 103 from Delhi to Washington was returning to Delhi; AI188 from Vancouver to Delhi was diverting to Jeddah; AI132 from London Heathrow to Bengaluru was diverted to Sharjah; AI130 from London Heathrow to Mumbai was diverted to Vienna; and AI102 from New York to Delhi was diverted to Sharjah.
Alternative arrangements were made to fly passengers to their destinations and accommodations were being provided where necessary to reduce disruptions, according to Air India.
Travelers, particularly those heading to Europe and the US, remain apprehensive, said Sunil Dang, director of Le Travelworld. "Fliers are nervous about air travel. We have received requests to switch airlines—even at higher costs — while about five–six have ditched their trips altogether."
Social media is abuzz with frantic flyers posting queries, tagging airline handles and reaching out for help.
@airindia I have a flight to London tomorrow (AI 129) from Mumbai to London. Can you please let me know if the flight will go ahead or not? Please let me know
June 13, 2025The string of aviation incidents has triggered a sharp fall in travel and tourism-related stocks. Shares of IndiGo-operator Interglobe Aviation Ltd. closed 3.7% lower. Similarly, travel platforms such as Thomas Cook India saw a 1.8% decline, while Easy Trip Planners Ltd. slipped 1.09%. Nasdaq-listed MakeMyTrip Ltd. shares drop 3.8% in pre-market trade.
Hospitality stocks were also in red. Shares of Indian Hotels Company, the group behind the Taj Hotels, fell by 1.1%, while Chalet Hotels fell 1.4%.
Experts, however, say that the decline in these stocks could be short lived.
"Friday's drop in aviation stocks is more about the combination of sentiment shock and crude oil spiking over 10% than just the crash itself," said Trivesh D, chief operating officer of trading platform Tradejini.
Historically, aviation stocks react to crashes primarily when there is a direct business or regulatory fallout, he said. When Boeing 737 MAX crashed in 2018–19, the aviation stocks fell hard due to global groundings and intense scrutiny. But in India, incidents like the Air India Express Kozhikode crash in 2020 had little lasting effect on listed peers like IndiGo. "Unless the DGCA steps in with broader safety inspections or restrictions, we feel the current selloff is likely to be sentiment-driven and short-lived."
"In the longer run, we expect resilience in air travel and the travel and hospitality industries should do well over the medium to long term," according to Kranthi Bathini from WealthMills Securities.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
