Airspace over the Middle East on Monday afternoon EDT, in keeping with FlightRadar24.
Courtesy: Flightradar24
Airlines diverted more flights within the Middle East on Monday after Iran’s armed forces said the country launched a missile strike on a U.S. military base in Qatar, because the region’s military conflict continued to disrupt flights.
Greater than 20 business aircraft certain for Doha, Qatar, diverted, while one other 4 heading to Dubai within the United Arab Emirates turned around, in keeping with aviation data firm Cirium. Meanwhile, flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 said airspace over the UAE was temporarily closed. Reuters reported that the island nation of Bahrain also closed its airspace temporarily.
Dubai-based Emirates said that a few of its aircraft rerouted on Monday and told customers that some delays or longer flights are possible as it would operate its schedule as planned but with “flight paths well distanced from conflict areas.”
Air India said it has halted all flights out and in of the region and to and from the east coast of North America and Europe “until further notice.”
“Our India-bound flights from North America are diverting back to their respective origins and others are being diverted back to India or re-routed away from the closed airspaces,” Air India said in a post on X. “We request the understanding of all passengers who could also be affected by this disruption that is beyond an airline’s control.”
The carrier had previously announced some schedule cuts for enhanced safety checks after the deadly crash of certainly one of its Boeing 787s shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad in western India earlier this month. The explanation for that crash remains to be under investigation.
British Airways said Monday it’s canceling its Doha flights through Wednesday “following the newest developments.”
“Safety is all the time our highest priority,” it said. “We’re contacting our customers to advise them of their options and can keep the situation under review.”
Flight patterns over United Arad Emirates.
Courtesy: Flightradar24
Earlier, major international airlines including Air France, Iberia, Finnair and others announced they’d pause or further postpone a resumption of service to some destinations within the Middle East.
American Airlines had previously suspended its flights to Doha, and United Airlines had paused service to Dubai.
U.S. carriers had also suspended their Israel service after that country’s strike on Iran earlier this month.
The conflict within the Middle East has added to complications for airlines which were coping with restricted airspace because the Ukraine war began in 2022 and Russian airspace closed for a lot of carriers.
Carriers have been periodically skirting parts of the Middle East due to security concerns, but closed airspace means longer, dearer routes that require more fuel.
