Amid growing fears of a possible broader conflict in the region, Britain and Egypt have asked their airlines to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace.
Britain advised its airlines to avoid Lebanon’s airspace, just hours after Egypt instructed all of its airlines to avoid Iran’s airspace for three hours early on Thursday. The move comes after the killing of senior members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
Many global airlines are revising their schedules to avoid the airspaces, with some also calling off flights to Israel and Lebanon.
This follows a prominent industry safety issue a decade ago, when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
United Airlines has suspended its flights to Tel Aviv, while Delta Air Lines has paused its New York to Tel Aviv route through the end of August. British carriers are not currently flying to Lebanon, according to flight tracking data.
Singapore Airlines stopped flying through Iranian airspace last Friday, using alternative routes due to safety concerns. Similarly, Egyptian airlines have already been avoiding Iran’s airspace, with the new directive applying to all carriers.
Egypt’s civil aviation ministry said the notice was intended to reduce flight safety risks, as Iranian authorities had notified them of military exercises taking place in the country’s airspace.
On Sunday, Jordanian authorities also asked all airlines landing at its airports to carry 45 minutes’ worth of extra fuel, as countries in the region, including Jordan, had closed their airspaces earlier this year amid aerial attacks on Israel.
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