Airlines face mounting pressure with flight cancellations and diversions as Iran-Israel war dominates airspace

Kolkata: The ongoing war between Iran and Israel is only escalating with each passing day, and it has put the airlines in a quandary about the duration of suspending the Middle East flights. The war has taken a new turn with the US attacking Tehran, with experts fearing further escalation.

In recent days, several flights have been cancelled at typically resilient aviation hubs like Dubai, the busiest international airport in the world, and Qatar’s Doha by international carriers. These moves show the aviation industry is worried about the escalating conflict in the region, according to a report by Reuters.

For the last 10 days, the airspace from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean, which remains busy on a normal day, has been largely empty of commercial air traffic. Since June 13, when Israel attacked Iran, numerous airlines have diverted, cancelled and delayed flights through the region apparently due to safety concerns.

Among the major airlines, Finnair was the first to announce a lengthy suspension of flights to Doha, putting a pause on flights on that route till June 30. Singapore Airlines, a leading Asian carrier, has cancelled flights to Dubai through to Tuesday. Earlier, it cancelled only its Sunday service.

Similar steps have been taken by IAG-owned Iberia, British Airways, Kazakhstan’s Air Astana, and Air France, with all cancelling flights to either Doha or Dubai. The Air France flights to Riyadh were cancelled and said it would suspend flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon until June 25.

According to the Reuters reports, aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions said that carriers will most likely avoid airports in UAE and Qatar and, may be also to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, due to safety concerns. Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the airspace of those two nations is closed to most airlines, making the Middle East an important route for flights between Europe and Asia.

But the war has changed the situation, forcing flights to take longer routes. Among the many problems, it has increased fuel consumption and crew costs due to cancellations and long detours. Moreover, carriers are also facing a potential hike in jet fuel costs as the war has also resulted in a rise in oil prices.

Now, the airlines are facing the added burden of flying through the conflict zones, as aerial attacks have raised safety concerns for commercial air traffic. Also, location spoofing and GPS interference around political hotspots have increased commercial aviation concerns. According to Flightradar24, it has told Reuters that in recent days, jamming and spoofing have increased over the Persian Gulf.

Safe Airspace has said that the attacks of the US on Iran’s nuclear sites could increase the threat to American operators in the Middle East. In Gulf states like Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the safety concerns over airspace have increased massively. Just before the US attack, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar, and Air Canada and United Airlines did the same with flights to Dubai, with a quick resumption appearing to be unlikely.

However, local carriers in Lebanon, Iraq, and Jordan are resuming some flights and Israel is also increasing flights to help people leave. Several rescue flights have landed in the country to date, and the Israeli airlines reportedly resumed outbound flights on June 23.