A day after the United States bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities, joining Israel in its war on Tehran, the Middle East region remains on edge.Israel and Iran continued to trade attacks, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian threatened retaliation against the US, saying, “the Americans must receive a response to their aggression”.
Since June 13, when Israel launched its current wave of attacks on Iran, more than 400 Iranians have been killed and at least 3,056 others wounded, while at least 24 Israelis have been killed in Iranian retaliatory strikes.
Amid the intensifying conflict, air traffic in the region has thinned dramatically, including over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, affecting areas well beyond the Palestinian territory, Iran, and Israel.
So, are airlines stopping flights to the Middle East? What is the importance of this aviation zone? And how long can airlines suspend flights to parts of the Middle East?
Are flights to Middle Eastern destinations suspended?
Since Israel attacked Iran on June 13, air traffic has been disrupted over many Middle Eastern countries. The initial Israeli attacks forced Iran, Iraq, and Jordan to close their airspaces.
After the hostilities began, Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv, was shut, and its flag-carrier, El Al, suspended all flights to and from Israel. Since then, Israel briefly reopened its airways, at times, to airlift stranded passengers.
Meanwhile, as Israel and Iran continued to launch missiles at each other, hundreds of flights that were scheduled to pass through the Middle East were cancelled or diverted. Advertisement
Many international carriers have either halted or rerouted flights that …
