New Delhi, March 20 -- Amid escalating conflict in West Asia, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines to avoid certain airspaces in the Gulf region and ensure contingency plans as part of safety risk assessments, according to sources.

Earlier, the civil aviation regulator had temporarily allowed Air India relaxations in flight duty norms amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, sources said. According to sources, Air India is operating flights through longer alternative routes, resulting in longer flying hours, due to restrictions on Iranian and Iraqi airspace. As this happens, the DGCA has provided temporary relaxations to Air India in flight duty norms till Iran situation is resolved.

Meanwhile, Union Civil ...