Airlines Rush to Redirect Flights Following Iran Missile Strike, Reports Reuters

PARIS (Reuters) – Israel’s neighboring countries have closed their airspace and airline crews have adjusted their routes amid a worsening conflict, following Iran’s launch of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday.

According to a representative from the flight tracking service, flights were diverted “anywhere they could,” resulting in traffic patterns showing flights taking wide arcs to the north and south, with many converging on cities like Cairo and Istanbul.

Airports in Istanbul and Antalya, located in southern Turkey, experienced congestion, prompting some airlines to reroute their flights further south.

The missile strikes from Iran are reportedly in response to Israel’s operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Israel pledging a “painful response” to the attacks.

Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control agency, issued a warning to pilots about the escalating situation. Their urgent navigation bulletin stated, “A major missile attack has been launched against Israel in the last few minutes. Currently, the entire country is under a missile warning.”

Shortly after, it announced that Jordanian and Iraqi airspace was closed, as well as a key crossing into airspace overseen by Cyprus. An Iraqi pilot bulletin noted that Baghdad-controlled airspace was “closed due to security until further notice.”

However, Iraq’s transport ministry later confirmed the reopening of its airspace for civilian flights at its airports, although FlightRadar24 indicated that it might take time before flights become fully operational again.

Jordan also reopened its airspace after initially closing it in response to the Iranian missile attacks, as reported by the Jordanian state news agency.

Additionally, Lebanon’s airspace is set to be closed for a two-hour period on Tuesday, as stated by Transport Minister Ali Hamie.

These recent disruptions are poised to further impact the already troubled aviation industry, grappling with numerous restrictions stemming from conflicts between Israel and Hamas, as well as between Russia and Ukraine.