Airlines reroute, cancel flights as tensions ramp up over Iran
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Iran said on Jan 23 it would treat any attack as "all-out war", after US President Donald Trump said the day before that the US had an “armada” heading towards Iran.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Tensions between the US and Iran are escalating, prompting airlines to reroute or cancel flights across the Middle East.
- The EU aviation regulator advised airlines to avoid Iranian airspace, with KLM, Lufthansa, and others adjusting routes.
- British Airways briefly suspended flights to Bahrain, but services resumed, reflecting constant monitoring of the region.
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WASHINGTON - Airlines have been rerouting and cancelling some flights across the Middle East as tensions ramp up between Iran and the United States, with President Donald Trump saying on Jan 22 the US had an “armada” heading towards Iran.
A senior Iranian official said on Jan 23
The European Union’s aviation regulator recommended on Jan 16 that its airlines stay out of Iran’s airspace as tensions flared over Tehran’s deadly crackdown on protests and US threats of intervention.
KLM
Airline KLM will avoid flying over large parts of the Middle East until further notice due to rising tensions there, the Dutch arm of airline group Air France KLM said on Jan 24.
“As a precaution, given the geopolitical situation, KLM will not fly through the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Israel and will not fly over several countries in the Gulf region,” a KLM spokesperson said.
Air France
Air France resumed its service to Dubai on Jan 24 after suspending it a day before, saying it was following the situation in the Middle East “in real time”.
“Air France continuously monitors the geopolitical situation of the territories served and overflown by its aircraft,” it said in a statement.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa said on Jan 14 it would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice, and would only operate day flights to Tel Aviv and Amman between Jan 14 and Jan 19.
Some flights could be cancelled as a result of these actions, it added in a statement that day.
British Airways
British Airways temporarily suspended flights to Bahrain on Jan 16 as a precautionary measure, saying it “continue(d) to keep the situation in the region under close review”.
Flights to Bahrain were once again available on the BA website on Jan 24, and a spokesperson for the airline said all its flights were going ahead as scheduled.
Finnair
Finnair said in a statement on Jan 16 it had stopped flying through Iraqi airspace, travelling to Doha and Dubai over Saudi Arabia instead.
The carrier had already been avoiding Iranian, Syrian and Israeli airspace for security reasons.
Wizz Air
A Wizz Air spokesperson said in January that the company avoided Iraqi and Iranian airspace.
“Therefore some westbound flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports will have to make (refuelling and crew change) stops in Larnaca, Cyprus or Thessaloniki, Greece,” the representative said. REUTERS
