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Travel Weekly
07-07-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Middle East conflict adds to the global airspace squeeze
Instability in the Middle East and Eastern Europe has ratcheted up route challenges for global air carriers. And despite the cessation of bombing over Iran in late June, the puzzle faced by many airline operations teams isn't likely to get easier soon. For now, most airlines are continuing to steer clear of Iranian airspace, altering routes to fly north through Turkey or south through Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The diversions have placed additional pressure on flight corridors that were already more crowded due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace in 2022 and the shutdown of Russian airspace for Western carriers. Faced with limited choices, airlines are often forced to fly longer routes, and with less scheduling flexibility, due to the challenges of dealing with more crowded skies. "If you're thinking about a six-lane highway, we are basically now funneling all traffic through two and three lanes," said Keith Glatz, senior vice president of international affairs for Airlines for America (A4A). For U.S. carriers, the restrictions on Iran preceded the closures over Russia and Ukraine, dating back to January 2020, when tensions escalated in the aftermath of the U.S. assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. U.S. airlines have also chosen not to fly over Iraq, though the FAA allows it as long as an altitude of 32,000 feet is maintained. Currently, the flight risk database Safe Airspace advises against flying over Iran, Israel, Syria and Lebanon along with Russia, Ukraine and several other countries. Cumulatively, the closures have mostly impacted India and China routes for U.S. airlines. To and from China, the closure of Russian airspace can increase flight time by two hours, depending on the route and on conditions, as carriers stay south of their usual transpacific routing. The Russian closure, augmented by the Iran closure, has caused U.S. airlines to mostly stay out of the Indian market. United has canceled three of its four India routes since 2022. And the only U.S. airline routes to India are one each from American and United -- to Delhi from New York JFK and Newark, respectively. Due to the closures, American operates JFK-Delhi by going across Turkey, then staying north of Iran and Afghanistan before cutting sharply south toward the Indian subcontinent, data from the flight-tracking service AirNav Radar shows. In contrast, until India's flare-up with Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region in early May closed Pakistani airspace to Indian carriers, Air India was able to fly the preferred polar route over northern Scandinavia and Greenland, often saving 30 minutes to an hour, depending on trade winds. The Pakistani closure, however, first led Air India to adjust its routing to go over Iran. Then came the bombing campaign by Israel, and later the U.S., against Iran. Now Air India is operating its U.S. service through the crowded Saudi Arabia/Egypt flight corridor, where it shares the skies with East/West services from European and Gulf airlines. Another popular Iran-avoidant corridor for non-U.S. operators has them cutting north/south over eastern Iraq in transit between Turkey and the Persian Gulf. "When you funnel a lot of traffic through a small corridor, that can create a bunch of air traffic management challenges," said industry analyst Bob Mann of R.W. Mann & Co. One impact, he noted, is that airlines might not have the option to substantially vary their routes to find the best wind conditions. "To have to fly the same corridor in both directions can create quite a bit of operational penalty," Mann said. Headwinds on alternate routes Slower airline throughput is another pitfall, as Glatz's reference to traffic highway lanes illustrates. He said airlines can try to fly bigger planes with fewer frequencies to alleviate that problem. But no matter what, scheduling challenges are heightened. Longer flight times also increase fuel usage and up the difficulty of crew scheduling, especially if delays cause more frequent occurrences of crews being timed out due to regulations on crew duty duration. And all of these issues, said Mann, impact the economics of each route, making some routes less appealing, if not unviable. "Some of it you try, but the cost of it is so high in equipment utilization and fuel burn and staffing utilization that you cancel that stuff," he said. Despite all the problems caused by airspace closures, many airlines might not be quick to return to the skies over Iran. In a recent opinion published by IATA, the trade group's senior vice president for security, Nick Careen, pointed to the downing of Ukrainian Airlines Flight PS752 by Iran in 2020 and last December's downing of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 by what is believed to have been a Russian missile. That second incident, he said, "was a fresh reminder that the risks in conflict zones are real." Regardless of whether regulators forbid airlines from flying over one area or another, carriers are obligated to do their own operational risk assessments, Careen wrote.
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Telegraph
How war in the Middle East is doubling flight times
Since the escalation of war in the Middle East the number of air corridors from Europe to Asia has shrunk from three to two, extending some flight routes by almost three hours. After the recent military activity in the region, Iran, Israel and Iraq closed their airspace to commercial air traffic and international aviation agencies issued fresh no-fly warnings. Israel has since reopened its airspace for emergency repatriation flights, but international airlines continue to swerve the country's skies. As a result, European pilots flying to the Middle East and Asia are left with only two possible air corridors: a northerly route via the Black Sea, or a southerly route via Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Pilot Brian Smith explains: 'In practice it means that the two routes that circumnavigate the closed zones will necessarily become very congested at times, resulting in delays in departure.' In some instances, flight routes have more than doubled in length as airlines are forced to make extraordinary detours. Doing so is costing airlines thousands of pounds in fuel, per flight, a cost which could lead to higher ticket prices for passengers in the long run. Let's take a look at how war in the Middle East has directly affected flight routes.
The Independent
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Airlines avoiding Middle East airspace after US bombs Iran
Airlines are continuing to reroute flights away from significant swathes of Middle Eastern airspace, following recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and ongoing missile exchanges in the region. The persistent avoidance of these key flight corridors was evident on Sunday, according to data from the flight tracking website FlightRadar24. FlightRadar24 confirmed the situation on social media platform X, stating: "Following US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, commercial traffic in the region is operating as it has since new airspace restrictions were put into place last week." The website's live tracking data showed a clear absence of commercial flights over Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. Instead, carriers are opting for alternative routings, either north via the Caspian Sea or south through Egypt and Saudi Arabia. These detours, while ensuring safety, come at a cost, resulting in higher fuel and crew expenses, alongside extended flight times for passengers and cargo. At about 8 p.m. ET, Trump put out a message on his Truth Social website saying that 'very successful' strikes had been carried out on the nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. 'Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,' Trump said in a brief address on Saturday evening. Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic. Since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, 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. 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 to evacuate New Zealanders from the region. It said in a statement that government personnel and a C-130J Hercules aircraft would leave Auckland on Monday. The plane would take some days to reach the region, it said. The government was also in talks with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist, it added.
The Independent
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Stunning map shows the lengths pilots go through to avoid conflict zones
A stunning map of current global flight routes has shown the lengths pilots have to go through to avoid conflict zones. As the Russia-Ukraine war rages on and the Israel-Iran conflict intensifies, the world has become more chaotic, and so has its airspace. A live flight tracking map from Flightradar24 showed planes bustling in western Europe and most of Asia. But there are startling holes in the map, which happen to be where the world's major conflicts are currently taking place. Ukraine had no planes in its airspace, and there were very few planes flying over Russia late Friday afternoon, according to Flightradar24's map. Some Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, Iran and the surrounding nations of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Kuwait, also had no flights coming in or out based on the map. The lack of air travel can be linked to the air strikes Russia and Ukraine as well as Israel and Iran have been launching against each other in respective conflicts. It's been more than three years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The missile and drone strikes and their counterattacks have been non-stop. Earlier this week, Russia launched an overnight attack on Kyiv, killing 28 people and injuring over 100 more, The Associated Press reported, citing local officials. Israel had already been at war with Hamas when it struck Iran's nuclear facilities and hit military targets in the region last Friday. The attacks killed several of Tehran's top military leaders and leading nuclear scientists, and Iran subsequently launched heavy retaliatory strikes against Israel. Besides man-made conflict, natural disasters can also make the jobs of pilots more difficult. 'Airspace closures have become quite common,' Singapore -based aviation consultant Brendan Sobie told CNN. 'It's almost like the new normal for airlines to have to navigate this kind of thing.'
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Airspace redesign promises quicker, quieter flights
The Government has announced the largest redesign of UK airspace in seven decades. The redesign aims to create more direct flight routes, aiming to reduce fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and flight times. Airlines like easyJet have criticised the UK's inefficient airspace, which they say contributes to increased fuel use and emissions. The Department for Transport (DfT) claims the redesigned 'skyways' will reduce noise and air pollution for residents along flight routes, while decreasing flight disruptions and shortening journey times for travellers. The UK Airspace Design Service, established by the DfT and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), will focus initially on redesigning London's airspace and could also design routes for drones and flying taxis. How a massive overhaul of UK airspace promises to cut flight times and delays
