This is a predictable consequence of renewed tension between United States and Iran. Air transport in the Gulf is now affected by the military escalation between the two countries. Several airlines such as Air FranceChina Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines or even Qantas have announced that they will avoid flying over the potential conflict zone represented by Iran and Iraq. As early as Tuesday evening, the US civil aviation authorities (FAA) were even more radical, banning US carriers from flying not only over the two countries but also over the Gulf of Oman in the waters separating Saudi Arabia and Iran.
A spokesperson forAir France announced at the end of the morning that " as a precautionary measure and as soon as it was announced that air strikes were in progress, Air France decided to suspend all flights over Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice ". Lufthansa has cancelled the service to Tehran whileEmirates and its low-cost subsidiary Flydubai stopped services to Baghdad. British Airways also announced that it would be keeping a close eye on developments in the region and adjusting the routes of its aircraft accordingly.
If we look at the various online sites that list aircraft movements in the region, a large number of flights are beginning to be diverted to Saudi Arabia. However, at 1.30pm on the Flightaware.com maps, it was still possible to track Emirates, Etihad, Gulf Air, Kuwait Air and Qatar Airways flights from Europe passing over Iranian territory. The routes most likely to be affected - should the conflict escalate - are those linking Europe to Asia. Most of them in fact pass over the Persian Gulf.
While no significant delays in aircraft movements have been reported for the time being, a massive transfer of flights southwards - i.e. over Saudi Arabian territory - is likely to result in delays on departure or arrival due to the cluttered skies...
