Airlines are avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace and canceling flights to Israel and Lebanon as concerns grow over a possible conflict in the region after the killing of senior Hamas and Hezbollah members this week.
Singapore Airlines stopped flying through Iranian airspace early today and is using alternative routes, it said in a statement to Reuters, noting that safety is its top priority.
Taiwan's EVA Air and China Airlines also appeared to avoid Iranian airspace for flights to Amsterdam today after flying over Iran, according to data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The companies did not immediately respond to a comment on these changes.
In a newsletter, OPSGROUP, an organization that advises on flight risks, advised airlines flying between Asia and Europe to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Yesterday, sources told Reuters that senior Iranian officials will meet representatives from Iran's regional allies of Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to discuss possible retaliation against Israel.
Many airlines, including US and European ones, already avoided flying over Iran, particularly after the missile and drone attacks in April between Iran and Israel.
The Singapore Airlines flight to London Heathrow Airport early today flew north of Iran, via Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, instead of crossing Iranian airspace as it did a day earlier, according to Flightradar24 data.
However, a significant number of airlines continued to fly over Iran today, including Etihad, Emirates and FlyDubai from the United Arab Emirates, as well as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.
In the past two days, Air India, Germany's Lufthansa Group, US United Airlines and Delta Air and Italy's ITA Airways have announced they are suspending flights to Tel Aviv.
Airlines announced this week that they were canceling and delaying flights to Lebanon's capital Beirut after a strike on the Israeli-held Golan Heights on Saturday.
Canada yesterday issued a warning to Canadian aircraft to avoid Lebanese airspace for a month because of the dangers to aviation posed by military activity.
Britain has been warning pilots for a month about possible danger from anti-aircraft weapons and military activity in Lebanese airspace.
Source: protothema.gr