After the assassination of senior officials from Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon, people are increasingly concerned about the possibility of a wider conflict erupting in the Middle East. Britain and Egypt demanded on Wednesday that their airlines avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace.
On Wednesday, Egypt instructed all its airlines to avoid Iranian airspace for three hours earlier on Thursday. According to the "Air Mission Notification" given by Egypt to pilots, the instruction will take effect between 01:00 and 04:00 Greenwich Mean Time on Thursday (4:30 to 7:30 Tehran Time).
The Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation subsequently confirmed that the above directive was issued only after receiving notification from Iranian authorities, with the aim of reducing flight safety risks. The notice states that military exercises will be conducted in Iranian airspace from 11:30 to 14:30 on August 7th and from 4:30 to 7:30 on August 8th, Tehran time.
According to sources cited by the media, Iranian authorities have previously stated that they want to avoid flying in the country's airspace due to "military exercises".
In 2020, the Iranian military mistakenly shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, resulting in the death of all 176 people on board.
On Wednesday, the UK also advised its airlines to avoid Lebanese airspace. According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, there are currently no flights from UK airlines to Lebanon.
Airlines are avoiding the Middle East one after another
Ten years ago, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down in an area of conflict between government forces and pro Russian separatist armed groups in eastern Ukraine, resulting in the death of all 298 people on board. Since then, flying over conflict zones has become a prominent industry safety issue.
Recently, many airlines have been modifying their flight schedules to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace, while canceling flights to Israel and Lebanon.
On July 31st, United Airlines announced that it would suspend all flights to Tel Aviv, Israel for "safety reasons". The airline announced on Wednesday that the relevant flights will continue to be grounded.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation and prioritize the safety of our customers and crew when deciding when to resume services, "said United Airlines.
Delta Air Lines has suspended flights between New York and Tel Aviv until August 31st.
Singapore Airlines stopped flying over Iranian airspace last Friday and used alternative routes, stating that safety is the top priority.