Airspace closures force widespread flight diversions as Israeli strikes spark aviation fallout
Flights connecting Europe and Asia faced major disruption overnight after Iran shut its airspace in response to Israeli military action.
The fallout from Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities prompted further airspace closures in Israel, Iraq and Jordan, and a cascade of route cancellations and diversions across the Middle East.
Flightradar24 data showed the total clearance of civilian air traffic across the region, from the eastern Mediterranean to the border with Pakistan.
Several overnight services between the UK and India were among those affected, including five Air India flights between London Heathrow and Indian cities, which were rerouted to alternate airports such as Sharjah, or forced to return to their departure points.
Air India flights to New York, Vancouver, Chicago were also affected by the closure, which was communicated via a Notam (pictured below).
An Emirates service departing Manchester was rerouted to Istanbul, while a Qatar Airways flight traveling from Seoul to Doha diverted to Tashkent.
Airlines including Emirates, Lufthansa and IndiGo were also forced to take immediate action.
Routes over Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Israel are heavily used for connecting Europe with Asia, and the knock-on effects are being felt across the global aviation industry.
Moving aircraft out of Israel
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed overnight and remained shut on Friday, along with other major airports in the region including Amman, Baghdad and Tehran.
Jordanian state media reported that the country’s air force had intercepted missiles and drones in Jordanian airspace after Iran reportedly launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
Later on Friday, Jordan revised its airspace restrictions to permit certain flights, provided they obtain prior clearance. Aircraft must route inbound through waypoint GENEX and depart via TULEP.
El Al and Israir both said they were moving aircraft out of Israel as a precaution.
The Middle East is an important thoroughfare for global aviation, especially in the wake of the closure of Russian and Ukrainian airspace.
On a normal day, the air corridor over Iraq – linking the aviation hubs of Dubai and Qatar with Europe – is one of the world’s busiest.
Analysts have previously cautioned that prolonged closures could result in more widespread network disruption, forcing airlines to redraw long-established flight paths and timetables.
