Early reports on Tuesday of an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel have prompted many airlines to reroute flights around one of the world’s most congested sectors of airspace.
According to flight tracking platform Flightradar24, both Jordanian and Iraqi airspaces are among those closed in the region. Flights currently airborne between Europe and the Middle East have either returned to their origins or diverted.
Airspace at 17:00 UTC, 1 Oct 2024. pic.twitter.com/md8UvGnxeQ
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 1, 2024
Lufthansa flights to Mumbai (VABB) and Hyderabad, India (VOHS), and Dubai, United Arab Emirates (OMDB), turned back to Frankfurt, Germany (EDDF). Swiss’ flight between Zurich (LSZH) and Dubai diverted to Antalya, Turkey (LTAI).
British Airways Flight 107 from London Heathrow (EGLL) to Dubai diverted to Larnaca, Cyprus (LCLK), on Tuesday evening. Multiple Emirates flights en route to the carrier’s Dubai hub were also impacted per flight tracking data.
“Following [Tuesday’s] airspace closures, Emirates has cancelled some flights and diverted others. We are closely monitoring the situation and are making all efforts to ensure minimal disruption to customers, while assisting those impacted,” an Emirates spokesperson said in a statement. “Emirates advises customers departing or arriving at Dubai International Airport to check their flight status on emirates.com for the latest information regarding their flights.”
Arrivals and departures from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (LLBG) in Israel were halted following the attack.
The news comes just hours after several European airlines—including Lufthansa and KLM—extended flight suspensions to Tel Aviv; Beirut, Lebanon (OLBA); and Tehran, Iran (OIIE), until at least the end of October.
This story is developing.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.
