Risks Rise For Airlines Flying Over West Asia (image-instagram/americanair)
Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, had said that following the US strikes on Iran, there may be an increased risks to US operators in the region.
As per the report, there had been no specific threat made against civil aviation. However, Iran had previously warned it would retaliate by attacking US military interests in the Middle East — either directly or via proxies such as Hezbollah.
Read also: Gulf States Fear Escalation After US Strikes Iran Nuclear Sites
It said that now the possible airspace risks might extend to countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. “We continue to advise a high degree of caution at this time,” it said.
In response to the growing instability in West Asia, Air India had announced a change in its flight operation, confirming that it is avoiding airspaces over several countries considered high-risk due to escalating geopolitical tensions.
A spokesperson for the airline stated on Saturday, “Amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region, Air India Group confirms that our flights currently do not operate over the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Israel. As a proactive measure, we will be progressively avoiding the use of certain airspace over the Persian Gulf in the coming days, opting instead for alternative paths for flights to destinations including the UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.”
The carrier had warned that the rerouting would result in longer travel times for flights to and from the Gulf, as well as for selected routes connecting Europe and North America.
According to Travel and Tour World, prominent airlines including American Airlines Group Inc., Finnair Oyj, United Airlines Holdings Inc., Air France-KLM, British Airways, and Air Canada have implemented sudden flight suspensions to critical West Asian hubs. American Airlines and Finnair have halted their journey to Qatar. United Airlines have paused its flight with Dubai. Similarly, Air France-KLM and Air Canada have temporarily halted their services.
These flight cancellations mark a significant shift, being the first notable disruptions affecting West Asia’s busiest aviation hubs in nearly two years.
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While according to flight tracking service FlightRadar24, commercial planes are being rerouted to avoid flying over countries like Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. Instead, they are taking longer paths over safer areas such as the Caspian Sea, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia. This change is leading to higher fuel consumption and more expensive flight operations.
