Airlines divert flights after Iran bombards Israel with missiles

Paris — Israel’s neighbours closed airspace and airline crews skirted an escalating conflict, with many seeking diversions, after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for tracking service FlightRadar24 said flights diverted “anywhere they could”, and a snapshot of regional traffic showed flights spreading in wide arcs to the north and south, with many converging on Cairo and Istanbul.

FlightRadar24 said Istanbul and Antalya in southern Turkey were becoming congested, forcing some airlines to divert south.

On Tuesday, about 80 flights, operated by the likes of Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and bound for major Middle East hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, were diverted to places such as Cairo and European cities, its data showed.

Many airlines have also suspended flights to the region or are avoiding use of affected air space.

Iran launched the strikes in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, and Israel vowed a “painful response” against its enemy.

Earlier, Eurocontrol, a pan-European air traffic control agency, had warned pilots of the escalating conflict.

“A major missile attack has been launched against Israel in the last few minutes,” it said in an urgent navigation bulletin. “At present the entire country is under a missile warning.”

Shortly afterwards it announced the closure of Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, as well as the closure of a key crossing point into airspace controlled by Cyprus.

An Iraqi pilot bulletin said its Baghdad-controlled airspace was closed until further notice, due to security concerns.

Iraq’s transport ministry later reopened its airspace to civilian flights using its airports. On X, FlightRadar24 said, “It will be a while before flights are active there again.”

Jordan also reopened its airspace after a closure following the volley of Iranian missiles towards Israel, the Jordanian state news agency said.

The latest disruptions are expected to deal a further blow to an industry already facing curbs due to conflicts between Israel and Hamas, and Russia and Ukraine.

Temporary airline routes

Several airlines operating in the Gulf have adjusted their flight routes to ensure passenger safety following Iran’s attack on Israel. Neighbouring countries have closed their airspace and airline crews are navigating alternative routes to avoid the escalating conflict.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said it was rerouting several flights on Wednesday due to airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East. Etihad said it was continuously monitoring security and airspace updates as the situation evolved.

Emirates Airlines cancelled all flights to and from Iraq (Basra and Baghdad), Iran and Jordan on October 2 and 3. The airline is closely monitoring the situation in the region and is in contact with relevant authorities regarding any developments.

Qatar Airways temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq and Iran due to airspace closures.

Flydubai cancelled flights to Jordan, Iraq, Israel and Iran on October 2 and 3 due to the temporary closure of airspace, according to a statement.

Kuwait Airways said on Tuesday it had adjusted the flight routes for some of its services, resulting in changes to destination timings. “This is in application of necessary security measures and to ensure the safety of passengers,” the airline said.

Update: October 2
This story has been updated with information from Middle East airlines.

Reuters