Thousands of flights affected by the situation in the Middle East, including about 1,800 to and from Europe
Airlines avoid a large part of the Middle East on Friday, having to cancel or change the route for thousands of flights after Israel's attacks against Iran, Reuters reports.
The proliferation of conflict areas worldwide becomes an increasing burden for the operations and profitables of airlines – and rather a safety problem. The bypass increases the costs with the fuel and increase the travel times.
Israel attacked Iran's nuclear installations on Friday, Iranian ballistic missiles and Iranian military commanders, as described to be the beginning of an operation meant to prevent Tehran from building an atomic bomb.
Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv was closed, and the Israeli company has announced that it had suspended flights to and from Israel. Similar ads made Air France-Klm and low-cost companies Ryanair and Wizz.
Wizz said that it has redirected the flights affected by air space closures in the region, for the next 72 hours.
The Israeli companies El Al, Israir and Arkia move their planes from the country.
The Flightradar data showed that the air space above Iran, Iraq and Jordan was empty, the flights being redirected to Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Are affected and flights from Europe
For the time being, around 1,800 flights to and from Europe have been affected, and 650 of them were canceled, according to Eurocontrol.
With the Russian and Ukrainian airspace closed because of the war, the Middle East became an even more important route for international flights between Europe and Asia.
The escalation of the conflict in the Middle East led to a decrease in actions for airlines around the world – in the case of IAG (ICAG.L), the owner of British Airways, by 4%, and at Ryanair, with 3.5%. An increase in oil prices after the attack also aroused concerns about aircraft fuel prices.
Many airlines have already stopped flights to and from Tel Aviv, given that a rocket launched by the Houthi rebels from Yemen to Israel has fallen near the airport on May 4.
The Iranian airspace is closed to new ads, according to the state press and the notifications received by the pilots.
Air India, whose flights from Europe and North America pass over Iran, has announced that several planes have changed their route or returned to the airports they had left, including New York, Vancouver, Chicago and London.
The German airline Lufthansa said that his flights to Tehran have been suspended and that he will avoid the Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace for now.
Emirates also canceled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran, while Qatar Airways canceled flights to Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Closed aerial spaces in Iraq, and in Jordan
Iraq has closed its air space on Friday morning and suspended traffic on all its airports, the Iraqi state press reported.
In the east of Iraq, near the border with Iran, there is one of the most circulated air corridors in the world, with flights between Europe and Golf, many on Asia routes to Europe.
Jordan, which is between Israel and Iraq, also closed its air space, a few hours after the beginning of the Israeli operation.
The Russian authority for civil aviation, Rosaviatsia, has announced that it has sent Russian airlines not to use Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan. The institution said that flights to Iran and Israel airports are also forbidden to civil carriers.
“The traffic is now deviated either to the south, through Egypt and Saudi Arabia or north, through Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan,” according to Safe Airspace, an opsgroup website, an organization that distributes information on flight risks.
