Latest news with #airspace
Khaleej Times
18 minutes ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Iran reopens central and western airspace to international transit flights
Iran has reopened its central and western airspace to international transit flights, state-run Nour News said on Saturday. Iran had closed its skies since June 13 after Israel launched a major bombing campaign that prompted Iran to retaliate with waves of missile strikes. A ceasefire between the two came into effect on Tuesday.
Al Arabiya
22 minutes ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Iran reopens central and western airspace to international transit flights
Iran has reopened its central and western airspace to international transit flights, state-run Nour News said on Saturday.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
What it's really like to get caught up in the flight disruptions in the Middle East right now
I was all buckled in my aisle seat and about to get cosy with Wicked when the pilot came over the intercom on Emirates A380 flight EK764 from Johannesburg to Dubai at around 7.10pm on June 23, about 10 minutes before we were due to depart. The British captain of our flight explained that they had been issued a directive from the security team at Emirates HQ in Dubai that it was not safe for us to depart right now, and they would be monitoring the situation and update us shortly. 'The decision to continue the flight towards Dubai will been taken with serious consideration for your safety, which is of our utmost importance,' he stressed. What he didn't mention, for obvious reasons, was what had transpired in the minutes before. Having had personal ties to Dubai now for 17 years, I knew something serious had happened. I activated my roaming service and informed my sister of the delay, who has two young girls and has been based in Dubai for 17 years. The UAE had closed its airspace, she said. Iran had bombed the US base in Qatar. This was unprecedented. I had lived in Dubai from 2008 to 2014, during some of the more recent unrest of the Middle East, such as the Arab Spring, and I had never seen this before. The UAE had always been considered a bubble. The Dubai friends Whatsapp group I'm part of was blowing up; people were scared. One friend had ordered a supply of water to her house, another was directing everyone to stay indoors. Another messaged that she naively thought the UAE would be kept out of this. It's sentiment all of us shared. Other passengers on the plane appeared calm and most seemed unaware of the situation. The kind nun from Madagascar sitting next to me had fallen asleep and asked me why the flight was so late. When I told her, she was worried she would not make the connection in Dubai to her homeland in time for her brother's funeral. I felt uneasy knowing that my family and friends were in Dubai, and the situation was still developing. With my parents travelling in business class, I asked the crew if I could go upstairs to talk to them. They very kindly consulted their superiors, and then ushered me upstairs. Credit to the entire Emirates crew who handled it professionally and turned a blind eye when my folks and I sat down at the A380 bar to drink champagne and wait it out. The A380 business class bar was a different vibe to economy, with people cracking jokes, lots of laughter, cake served and a party vibe quickly evolving. At around 8.15pm we noticed more of a momentum on the aircraft, crew seemed to be getting ready for something. At about 8.20pm, the captain announced that things were looking positive and we might soon be cleared to fly. Then at 8.45pm, we got more news. 'The UAE has decided to reopen their airspace … there are aircraft landing and departing around the terminal as normal,' he said. We'd be pushing back at 9.15pm, he said to an eruption of cheers in the A380 bar. Back in economy, things were calm but less festive. Cabin crew immediately began going through each of the cabin bags in the holds and asking passengers to identify their bags. One bag was not identified in my section and it was paraded up and down the aisle before an announcement was made saying that it would be offloaded. Eventually someone who wasn't paying attention claimed it. The nun was not happy. However, then there were more delays. Some people wanted to get off of the plane. 'I've been informed that there are some passengers who wish to offload,' said the captain. He stressed Emirates safety protocols and that the current unrest was isolated to very specific spots. Several freaked-out passengers did decide to disembark the flight and the captain kept us informed that there would be a bit more of a wait until their bags were collected from the hold. We eventually took off at around 9.36pm and touched down in Dubai nearly 2.5 hours later than scheduled, so there was plenty of panic, with most passengers connecting to onwards flights. It was as if the entire economy jumped up into the aisle to get their bags before the plane had even stopped moving. I wished my seat neighbour all the best in making her brother's funeral and assured her the ground staff would assist her. There were masses of staff holding signs to connecting flights when we touched down, but other than that, things appeared as normal. Kudos to Emirates and all the crew on flight EK764 for handling this tricky situation with such grace and professionalism. Let's hope my next flight to Europe is less eventful.
Al Arabiya
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Iran says Azerbaijan denied letting Israel use its airspace in 12-day war
The Iranian presidency said Thursday that Azerbaijan has denied reports it allowed Israel to use its airspace to launch strikes during the 12-day war with Iran. The remarks came during a telephone call between President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, the president's office said. Israel launched a major bombing campaign on June 13 that targeted Iranian nuclear and military facilities and killed top scientists and commanders. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect on Tuesday. Pezeshkian urged Azerbaijan to investigate reports that Israel had launched 'drone and microlight attacks into Iranian skies through the airspace of the Republic of Azerbaijan,' the presidency said. It added that Aliyev had denied the reports, saying 'the Azerbaijani government would not in any way allow its skies to be used against the friendly and brotherly country.' A readout of the telephone call from the Azerbaijani side did not mention that part of the discussion. A day after the start of the Iran-Israel war, Azerbaijan said it would not allow its territory to be used for attacks against Tehran. 'Azerbaijan will never allow its territory to be used for attacks on third countries, including friendly Iran,' Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi at the time. Tehran has previously expressed concern that Azerbaijani airspace could be used for an attack by Israel, a major arms supplier to Baku.
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Ceasefire with Iran gives Israelis a chance to return from temporary Cyprus haven
Police at Limassol's port were jumpy as Israelis who had sought a safe haven and were stranded by weeks of airline disruption arrived on Thursday in dribs and drabs to get on a cruise ship to take them home. Many had spent weeks away from home after Israel closed its airspace to commercial flights but were boarding the cruise ship Crown Iris. It is conducting a final repatriation voyage to Ashdod port as operations at Ben Gurion resume. The 11 deck Panamanian-registered ship has ferried 2,000 to Israel on each of its voyages. Israelis are purchasing real estate in sensitive areas that pose a threat to national security Stefanos Stefanou On the dockside concourse a set of polite, if slightly stressed local Cypriot officers, took passport details and made a few calls to their bosses. There have been reports of Iranian-linked sleeper agents on the island and last week police arrested a suspect conducting surveillance against the nearby British airbase, RAF Akrotiri. A statement said a British citizen was being investigated for ties to Iran in attacking the base. Once they have taken details, the senior officer of the three, apologetically nodding in the direction of the ship, said: 'You understand this is sensitive.' He then made it clear reporting from the scene 'is over'. The sailing has been organised by Israeli national airline El Al and comes as flights began departing Cyprus for Israel after it began the phased reopening its airspace in the wake of a ceasefire with Iran. Israel first closed its airspace on June 13 when its troops launched their attack on Iran, leaving and 100,000 to 150,000 Israelis stranded abroad. Speaking as she prepared to get ready to board the ship back in her hotel, stranded El Al passenger Nesher Drohah told The Nationa l she has been out of Israel since June 6. 'We travelled to Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania and we were meant to be there until June 18 when the war broke out,' she said. 'But we've been stuck in Tirana until two days ago so now we're here to go home by boat.' She said it she is anxious to return to Israel after people she knows had a narrow escape from an Iranian missile but lost their home. 'He's OK but the house is not OK, the car is not OK,' she said. 'For that reason we were trying to fly back to get home fast and I hope tomorrow we will be home.' Ms Drohah said she backed the decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch an attack on Iran. She said that 'Iran is dangerous for all over the world but for us the most'. Cyprus has become a key transit point for Israelis wishing to return home in the absence of direct flights there and also the foreign nationals looking to escape the conflict. These include UK citizens first evacuated by the UK's Royal Air Force to the Akrotiri airbase. It is further along the same peninsula as Limassol's port. There are frequent flights to Cyprus from Israel, the result of the island's popularity as a tourist destination for Israelis. At different points of tension including the months since the October 7 assault by Hamas that led to Israel's Gaza operation, Cyprus has been a point of refuge for those who want to get out of the danger zone. The spillover from the Israeli assault on Gaza has seen a steady flow of Israelis arrive in Cyprus. While there is a ceasefire with Iran, the warplanes, drones and artillery attacks continue against the Palestinians both in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The Cyprus chief Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin has previously said that about 6,500 Israelis were in Cyprus after leaving the war zone for the east Mediterranean island, the closest European nation to Israel. Others had travelled there to catch flight or boat trip back to their country. Many Israelis have now settled in Cyprus and bought property there. There are now six Chabad Houses, which are community centres and also places of worship, on the island. Israeli restaurants cater for compatriots in the handsome Mediterranean port city that attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year. Targeted purchases The presence of Israelis has provoked a backlash. This week, a local political party Akel, singled out the purchase of land by them, as part of its highlighting of foreign land purchases by non-EU nationals. Stefanos Stefanou, the left-wing party's leader, accused Israelis of making 'targeted purchases' of land with the aim of creating gated communities in Larnaca and Limassol. 'Our country is being taken away from us,' he said. 'Israelis are purchasing real estate in sensitive areas that pose a threat to national security.' The party has put forward legislation in parliament aimed at restricting 'golden visas', which issued to non-EU nationals for an investment of at least €300,000 ($351,000) in real estate or company shareholding. Mr Stefanou appeared to focus on Israelis buying land claiming 'Zionist schools are being built' and quoting what he said were media reports 'suggesting that Israel is preparing a 'backyard' in Cyprus'. At Limassol's Chabad House, Rabbi Yitzchok Lapidus told The National that recently he has seen an increase in what he described as 'antisemitic graffiti'. He is one of three Rabbis, who work there under leadership of Rabbi Yair Baitz, and also with their wives. But for Rabbi Lapidus, his mind has been focused on providing food and shelter for the 'thousands' of Israelis and majority, he estimates, have come through the doors of the Chabad Houses in Cyprus. A traditional Israeli breakfast of fried eggs, salad and bread was laid on in the cafe next door just in case any travellers arrived that morning. Such has been the desperation of Israelis to get home, many have resorted to unusual methods, explained the Rabbi. 'They tried to go to Israel by yacht, by helicopter. There are a lot of families who were stuck here and need help to get out because of an emergency. People needed medicine, there were pregnant women,' he told The National. 'Some of them went for one day or for business and they were stuck for a week, two weeks. In the marina area of the city there one yacht charterer who asked not to be identified confirmed that her company had leased boats out to Israelis. 'It was our company that did most of this. There was a lot of demand last week and through the weekend but that's now over as people can get flights.' But another yacht charter company said it turned down requests by Israelis to charter yachts. 'We had a lot of inquiries from people who wanted to go to Israel but we decided it would be too risky because of the war but I know others were happy.' Omer Gonen is one of the unlucky ones who was only meant to be out of Israel for weekend. He came to Limassol with his wife and two children, along with their friends, two weekends ago but has been stuck here. 'We just wanted a weekend holiday but we're still here,' he said. 'We're now booked on a very expensive flight on Saturday. It's good to be going home now, finally but it's been terrible here.' Sitting on the floor with his two friends at Larnaca airport, Uriel, 24, from Jerusalem, explained they had just been released from the army and were about to return from a holiday in Tblisi, in Georgia when they became stuck. 'We had been on holiday for two to three weeks and then we got stuck,' he said. 'We came from Tblisi to here because it's easy for us to get a visa.' Uriel explained that him and his friends were about to board a special flight organised by a wealthy Israeli, which was exempt from the ban on commercial flights. He said their families 'were in the safest place but it's still a worry' but he added 'we've had two and a half years of war'. Meanwhile, the first RAF flight set off from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Monday afternoon carrying 63 British passengers, who landed in Cyprus and were then flown back to Birmingham Airport, where they arrived in the early hours of Tuesday. In the days since, more Britons have made the journey home as part of the Government's evacuation strategy. Meanwhile, the US has helped about 400 of its citizens and others to fly out of Israel since Saturday amid conflict with Iran and hopes to accommodate more in the coming days, a senior State Department official said.
