Jordan reopens airspace day after Israel and Iran exchange missile fire
Jordan reopened its airspace on Saturday morning after it was closed to traffic following air attacks by Israel on Iran's nuclear sites on Friday.
Jordanian airspace re-opened at 7.30am, the civil aviation commission said.
Other countries in the region, including Iran and Iraq, also shut their airspace. The restrictions have led to widespread travel disruption after airlines cancelled and delayed flights.
Iran announced its airspace would be closed until 2pm on Saturday, while the Iraqi Ministry of Transport announced on Friday that the 'complete suspension of air traffic at all Iraqi airports and the closure of Iraqi airspace' would continue until further notice.
Syria also announced a closure of its airspace, which had been scheduled to be lifted at 3pm local time on Friday. There was no further update from Syrian authorities when it plans to reopen its airspace.
'This measure comes as part of our close monitoring of the developments in the airspace in the region, and we will re-evaluate the decision immediately after the specified period ends, with the possibility of extending it or reopening airspace, according to safety requirements,' the Syrian Arab News Agency, reported on Friday quoting Ashhad Al Salibi, the head of the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority.
Tension across the Middle East rose on Friday after Israel launched a wave of strikes across Iran, killing senior military officials and hitting key nuclear sites.
Iran also launched retaliatory missile strikes on Israel into Saturday morning, killing at least three people and wounding dozens, raising concerns of a wider Middle East war.
Israeli military said that air raid sirens sounded across the county as defences identified Iranian drones.
Etihad suspends flights to Tel Aviv and Amman
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was also closed, with the UAE's Etihad Airways announcing cancellation of services to and from Tel Aviv.
'Etihad Airways is experiencing disruption to several services across the region due to airspace closures and the continuing regional situation,' Etihad's duty media officer told The National in a statement on Saturday.
As a result, all flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, and between Abu Dhabi and Amman on June 14, June 15 and June 16 have been cancelled.
The EY583 / EY584 between Abu Dhabi and Beirut on June 14 has also been cancelled, according to Etihad.
'In addition, Etihad is re-routing a number of flights in response to restricted airspace in parts of the Middle East,' the statement said.
Travellers transiting through Abu Dhabi to connect to cancelled flights will also not be accepted for travel from their point of origin.
'This remains a developing situation which is likely to cause some disruption and delays over the coming days. Etihad is continuously monitoring airspace and security updates in close coordination with the relevant authorities,' the Abu Dhabi based airline said.
Emirates also cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran.
Other major airlines, including Lufthansa and Air India, also rerouted services mid-flight on Friday.
Middle East Airlines suspends inbound flights to Beirut
Meanwhile, Middle East Airlines – the national carrier of Lebanon – has announced the suspension of all inbound flights to Beirut until further notice, Lebanese broadcaster LBCI reported on Saturday.
The airline also announced the cancellation of all outbound flights from Beirut scheduled to depart before 1pm on Saturday. As for flights scheduled to depart after 1pm, passengers will be informed based on further developments, the broadcaster added.
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