Amid a drone and missile attack on Israel by Iran, commercial flights have been disrupted due to the closure of airspace in the Middle East.
Updates:
0700H UTC - Flightradar24 reports that all countries that previously closed their airspace have since reopened. Iran's airspace is open for IFR flights.
0240H UTC - In a post on X, Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) reported all its aircraft are avoiding the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Israel. As a result, the flights from Delhi (LX147) and Singapore (LX177) to Zurich will make a refuelling stopover in Vienna and arrive in Zurich with a delay of several hours.
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Amid a drone and missile attack on Israel by Iran, commercial flights have been disrupted due to the closure of airspace in the Middle East.
As a response to escalated tensions between Iran and Israel, five countries in the region – Israel, Iran, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon – have closed their airspace along with large parts of the skies over Iran. Due to the airspace closures, commercial flights using the airspace have been grounded, diverted, or re-routed onto routes north of the area through eastern Iran or south via Saudi Arabia.
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Image: Commercial air traffic over the Middle East amid an Iranian drone/missile attack on Israel on April 14 ( Credit: Flightradar24).
Pre-Emptive Moves
In anticipation of the attack, Australian airline Qantas announced it would pause its 17-hr non-stop flights from Perth to London-Heathrow. The flight – operating as QF9 - has been re-assigned as QF209 and will now include a refueling stop in Singapore. The return leg – with a reduced fuel burn and flight time flying eastward with jetstreams – will still operate as a non-stop flight with a modified route.
From Europe, both Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines announced it would suspend its services to Tehran Iran. Austrian Airlines stated its suspension would be effective for six days between April 12 and 18.
El Al's Ongoing Flight Adjustments
Due to the closure of Israeli airspace and the suspension of flight operations at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, El Al has announced a series of flight cancellations between April 14 and 20.
In an advisory, the Israeli national carrier continues to add more flights that have been cancelled. Among the flights that have been suspended include services to/from Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Athens, and Moscow.
The airline has reported that two flights from Thailand which departed on April 13 – LY82 from Bangkok and LY88 from Phuket – returned or diverted to Bangkok.
Customers affected with departures until April 20 can request flight changes or travel voucher from the airline.
Asia-based Airlines Rerouting Flights
From Asia, Malaysia's flag carrier Malaysia Airlines announced it would reroute its flights between Kuala Lumpur and London to avoid Iranian airspace.
Malaysia Airlines currently operates two daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and London-Heathrow.
India-based carriers Air India and Vistara have issued statements regarding the flight re-routing due to the tensions between Israel and Iran.
Singapore Airlines has also announced it would stop using Iranian airspace. In a response to CNA, the airline said: "As a precautionary measure, with effect from 1300hrs (Singapore time) on Apr 13, 2024, all Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights stopped overflying Iranian air space and used alternative flight paths.
Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) reported all its aircraft are avoiding the airspaces of Iran, Iraq, and Israel. As a result, the flights from Delhi (LX147) and Singapore (LX177) to Zurich will make a refuelling stopover in Vienna and arrive in Zurich with a delay of several hours.
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