Air India Along With Other Major Airlines,cancel Flights To Israel As Tensions Surge

Saturday, August 3, 2024

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NEW DELHI: Airlines are rerouting to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace and canceling flights to Israel and Lebanon amid escalating tensions following the targeted killings of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders this week.

Starting early Friday morning, Singapore Airlines began bypassing Iranian airspace, opting for alternative routes to prioritize safety, according to a statement given to Reuters. Similarly, Taiwan’s EVA Air and China Airlines adjusted their flight paths to Amsterdam, previously over Iran, as shown by Flightradar24 data. Both airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment on these changes.

OPSGROUP, an organization that provides flight risk information, issued a bulletin advising that flights between Asia and Europe steer clear of Iranian and Iraqi airspace. This follows a Reuters report that top Iranian officials plan to meet with allies from Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen to discuss possible retaliation against Israel.

Many airlines, including those from the U.S. and Europe, have already been avoiding Iranian airspace due to the missile and drone exchanges between Iran and Israel earlier this year. For instance, Singapore Airlines’ flight to London Heathrow on Friday took a route through Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, avoiding Iran, as opposed to its previous day’s route through Iranian airspace, according to Flightradar24.

Despite rising tensions, several airlines continued to operate flights over Iranian airspace on Friday. Among these carriers were United Arab Emirates airlines Etihad, Emirates, and FlyDubai, as well as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, maintaining their routes over Iran.

In contrast, several other airlines have taken precautionary measures by suspending flights to Tel Aviv. This list includes Air India, Germany’s Lufthansa Group, U.S. carriers United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, and Italy’s ITA Airways. Notably, Air India announced on Friday that it would halt flights to Tel Aviv until August 8.

The situation has also affected flights to Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, with cancellations and delays reported this week. This disruption followed a strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, which Israel attributed to the Lebanon-based armed group Hezbollah, although Hezbollah denied any involvement in the attack.

In response to the escalating conflict, Canada issued a notice on Thursday advising its aircraft to avoid Lebanese airspace for the next month due to the heightened risk of military activity. This precautionary measure reflects concerns over the safety of aviation in the region.

The United Kingdom has also been proactive, warning pilots for the past month about potential dangers in Lebanon’s airspace. These warnings highlight the risk of anti-aircraft weaponry and other military activities that could pose a threat to civil aviation.

OPSGROUP, an organization that monitors flight risks, has raised alarms about the potential dangers to civil aviation if a full-scale war erupts in the Middle East. The risks include drones and missiles crossing flight paths and the increasing prevalence of GPS spoofing, a tactic where false signals are sent to deceive a plane’s navigation system. This phenomenon has been particularly noted around Lebanon and Israel, where military and other entities may manipulate GPS signals.

Agencies worldwide are closely monitoring the situation as the threat of conflict looms, emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance and adaptability in aviation operations in the Middle East.