9 hours ago
US airlines face heightened risks as global carriers bypass Middle East after attacks on Iran
An organisation that monitors flight risks warned on Sunday that U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region as some airlines cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Doha.
Airlines continued to avoid large parts of the Middle East due to ongoing missile exchanges between Israel and Iran, the latest upheaval to travel in the region.
Singapore Airlines said it cancelled scheduled flights from Singapore to Dubai following a security assessment and British Airways cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Doha.
But following a barrage of early morning Iranian missiles, Israel has reopened its airspace for six hours on Sunday to bring back those stranded abroad since the conflict with Iran began on June 13.
Safe Airspace, a membership-based website run by OPSGROUP, said the U.S. attacks on Iran may increase risks to U.S. operators in the region.
"While there have been no specific threats made against civil aviation, Iran has previously warned it would retaliate by attacking US military interests in the Middle East - either directly or via proxies such as Hezbollah," Safe Airspace said.
Meanwhile, flight tracking website FlightRadar24, said airlines maintained flight diversions around the region.
Its website showed airlines were not flying in the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. They have chosen other routings such as north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, even if these result in higher fuel and crew costs and longer flight times.
Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic.
In the nine days since Israel launched its offensive against Iran, carriers have suspended flights to destinations in the affected countries, though there have been some evacuation flights from neighbouring nations and some bringing stranded Israelis home.
With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed due to war, the Middle East region has become an even more important route for international flights between Europe and Asia.
In addition to rerouting flights, airlines are also concerned about a potential spike in oil prices following the U.S. attacks, which will increase the cost of jet fuel.
In the days before the U.S. strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar and United Airlines did the same with flights to Dubai.
Safe Airspace said it was possible airspace risks could now extend to countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "We continue to advise a high degree of caution at this time," it said.
RESCUE AND EVACUATION FLIGHTS
The BA and Singapore Airline cancellations were only for Sunday, but Singapore cautioned that other flights between Singapore and Dubai may be affected as the situation remains "fluid".
BA, which is owned by IAG, said customers scheduled to travel between now and June 24 to Dubai and Doha can rebook on a later flight up to and including July 6, free of charge. Its teams continue to keep the situation under review, it added.
Israel's carriers, El Al Israel Airlines, Arkia, Israir and Air Haifa, said earlier on Sunday they had suspended rescue flights that allowed people to return to Israel until further notice.
Flag carrier El Al said it would also extend its cancellation of scheduled flights through Friday and Israir said it had halted the sale of tickets for all flights through July 7.
A spokesperson for Israel's airports authority said the country's main airport, Ben Gurion near Tel Aviv, was expected to reopen for rescue flight landings on Sunday between 1100 and 1700 GMT. The small Haifa Airport serving Israel's north would also be open from 1100 to 1700 GMT.
El Al, along with Arkia, Air Haifa and Israir said they would operate at least 10 flights on Sunday starting at 1100 GMT.
Tens of thousands of Israelis and others who had booked tickets to Israel are stuck abroad.
At the same time, nearly 40,000 tourists in Israel are looking to leave the country, some of whom are going via Jordan's borders to Amman and Aqaba and others via Egypt and by boat to Cyprus.
Japan's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had evacuated 21 people, including 16 Japanese nationals, from Iran overland to Azerbaijan. It said it was the second such evacuation since Thursday and that it would conduct further evacuations if necessary.
New Zealand's government said on Sunday it would send a Hercules military transport plane to the Middle East on standby on Sunday to evacuate New Zealanders from the region.
The government was also in talks with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist, it added. (Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney and Steven Scheer in Jerusalem; Additional reporting by Tim Kelly in Tokyo, Sam McKeith in Sydney and Alistair Smout in London; Editing by Sonali Paul, William Mallard and Clelia Oziel)
