On Monday, global airlines encountered flight disruptions as a result of Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Israel, which further limited alternatives for planes flying between Europe and Asia.
Iran launched an attack on Israel with over 300 missiles and drones, the majority of which were shot down by Israel’s US-backed missile defence system, causing havoc in the aviation industry.
At least a dozen airlines, including Qantas, Germany’s Lufthansa, United Airlines, and Air India, have had to cancel or reroute flights in the last two days.
According to Mark Zee, founder of OPSGROUP, which monitors airspace and airports, this was the most significant single disruption to air traffic since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre.
“Not since then have we had a situation with that many different air spaces closed down in that quick succession, and that creates chaos”, Zee continued, adding that disruptions were expected to endure a few more days.
The latest routing issues are a blow to the sector already burdened by limitations resulting from hostilities between Israel and Hamas, as well as Russia and Ukraine.
Airlines flying between Europe and Asia use Iran’s airspace, and companies will be limited to two viable alternative routes: Turkey or Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Israel closed its airspace on Saturday and reopened it on Sunday morning. Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon have also resumed flights over their territories.
Major Middle East airlines, including Emirates Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways, announced Sunday that they would resume operation in the region after canceling or rerouting certain flights.
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