Airlines confront new Iran-Israel risks as disruption grows

AIRLINES are weighing an ever narrowing set of options to fly between Europe and Asia after grappling with airspace shutdowns in the wake of the first direct Iranian attack on Israel from its soil.

Several Middle Eastern countries including Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon temporarily closed their airspace as Iran launched drones and missiles. Both Israel and Iran also imposed restrictions on airline traffic over theirs.

A number of airlines are rerouting or avoiding trouble spots in a series of decisions that will prolong flight times and add to fuel costs. They include Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines and Deutsche Lufthansa.

Qatar Airways and Emirates resumed some suspended Middle Eastern services on Sunday (Apr 14) as airspaces reopened.

Iran’s airspace is frequently utilised by airlines travelling between Europe and India or South-east Asia. Airspace across the Middle East are littered with risks and complexities. Airlines are contending with a set of challenges after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine severed access for many carriers forcing lengthy diversions which exist to this day.

Earlier in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, airlines faced scores of disruptions primarily centred on Tel Aviv, cancelling flights into or out of the country.

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Israel shut down its airspace for both domestic and international routes on Saturday, before reopening them Sunday morning. Lebanon and Iraq too resumed flights over their territories.

The latest diversions come as Israel and its allies, led by the US, fended off Iran’s response to a suspected Israeli attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria on Apr 1, which killed a top military commander. Iran said on Saturday its forces seized an Israel-linked container ship near the Strait of Hormuz.

Days earlier, Lufthansa Group suspended flights to several cities in the Middle East. The group – whose airlines include Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines – said Sunday that it will resume flights to Tel Aviv, Erbil in Iraq and Amman on Tuesday, while those to Beirut and Tehran will continue to be halted until at least Apr 18.

Qantas had temporarily adjusted its direct Perth-London flights to stop over in Singapore to account for the extra fuel needed to re-route around the volatile region.

Singapore Air said that its flights were not overflying Iranian airspace. Cathay Pacific is watching the situation in the Middle East closely, but its operations remain normal, a spokesperson said in a text message on Sunday. BLOOMBERG