Visual chaos as flights get derailed, routes altered to sidestep Middle Eastern airspace
Tales from the Sky: Middle Eastern Airspace Chaos Post-Israeli Airstrikes
The skies over the Middle East are currently a turbulent mess, following Israel's bombing of Iran last Friday. Major airlines are reconsidering their flight plans, diverting or canceling flights to and from Middle Eastern locations and rerouting their aircraft to steer clear of the volatile region.
Flight-tracking site Flightradar24 reported an empty sky above Iran, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq on Friday, as airspace above these countries closed in response to the attack. Israel, Iran, and Jordan closed their airspace, and Iran even suspended all domestic and international flights, according to the country's state-affiliated Fars news agency. Airports like Tehran's Mehrabad Airport, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, and Amman's Queen Alia International Airport shut down. Mehrabad will remain shut until 2 p.m. on Saturday, while Ben Gurion remains closed indefinitely, and Queen Alia International Airport refuses to give a reopening date, advising passengers to reach out to their respective airlines.
As the bombing on Iran unfolded overnight, numerous flights were diverted or returned to their origin. Air India reported that more than a dozen of its flights faced disruptions "due to the ongoing drama in Iran," including routes from New York, London, Vancouver, and Washington. One Delta Air Lines flight from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport to Tel Aviv took eight hours to head back to JFK, Flightradar24 reported.
Israeli carriers El Al, Israir, and Arkia evacuated their planes from Israel as the country braced for retaliation from Iran, according to Reuters. Flightradar24 data reveals several planes leaving Tel Aviv airport on Friday morning, with several heading to Cyprus. Cyprus' airports operator, Hermes, confirmed that 32 flights from the Middle East were diverted to Larnaca and Paphos airports as of Friday morning.
With airline after airline announcing their suspensions, about 650 flights to and from Europe were canceled as of Friday, according to Reuters, which cited Eurocontrol, an inter-governmental organization that aids in managing Europe's airspace. Approximately 1,800 flights across the continent were affected in total.
German carrier Lufthansa declared that flights to Tehran and Tel Aviv would be paused until July 31, and their flights to Amman, Beirut, and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan would be suspended until June 20. Emirates, a flagship carrier from the United Arab Emirates, canceled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran until Sunday. Air France stated that they had halted flights to Tel Aviv indefinitely, while its sister company Dutch carrier KLM declared they would not fly to Tel Aviv until at least July 1. Delta Air Lines initially warned that travel to, from, or through Tel Aviv might be impacted until June 30, but the airline later announced a pause in flights between JFK and Tel Aviv until August 31. Qatar Airways has "temporarily canceled flights to Iran and Iraq," the airline stated in a communiqué. Three major airports in Iran and five airports in Iraq were affected, Qatar Airways added.
In the midst of this tumult, airlines are finding alternative routes, often over Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to avoid conflict zones. Some airlines, including Turkish subsidiaries and budget carriers like AJet and Pegasus, are operating flights to select destinations (such as Lebanon) only during daylight hours as a precaution. Air travel in the Middle East is experiencing significant disruptions, impacting airlines' operations and profitability as they grapple with surging fuel expenses and extended journey times due to detours, all while passenger safety remains paramount. Flights to Beirut and neighboring countries have also been affected, with some suspensions lasting until late summer.
- The current volatile situation in Middle Eastern airspace, resulting from the war-and-conflicts following Israel's bombing of Iran, has led to significant politics involved in flight operations, with many airlines reconsidering their plans and rerouting aircraft to avoid the region.
- As the war-and-conflicts in the Middle East cause general-news headlines, airlines are implementing precautionary measures, such as operating flights during daylight hours and finding alternative routes over Saudi Arabia and Egypt, to ensure passenger safety while dealing with the disrupted operations and increased costs due to the conflict.
