West Asian countries close airspace, airlines forced to cancel flights

SEOUL/LONDON: Airlines steered clear of much of West Asia on Friday after Israeli attacks on Iranian sites forced carriers to cancel or divert thousands of flights in the latest upheaval to travel in the region.

Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was closed and Israel's air defence units stood on high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.

Israel's El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel as did Air France KLM and budget carriers Ryanair and Wizz. Wizz said it had re-routed flights affected by closed airspace in the region for the next 72 hours. Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia were moving planes out of the country.


FlightRadar data showed airspace over Iran, Iraq and Jordan was empty, with flights directed towards Saudi Arabia and Egypt instead.

About 1,800 flights to and from Europe had been affected so far on Friday, including approximately 650 cancelled flights, according to Eurocontrol.

With Russian and Ukrainian airspace closed due to war, the West Asia region has become an even more important for flights between Europe and Asia. The escalation of the conflict knocked shares in airlines around the world with British Airways owner IAG down 4% and Ryanair off 3.5%. A surge in oil prices after the attack also stirred concerns about jet fuel prices.

Many global airlines had already halted flights to and from Tel Aviv after a missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels towards Israel on May 4 landed near the airport.

Germany's Lufthansa said its flights to Tehran have been suspended and that it would avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace. Emirates also cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran while Qatar Airways axed flights to Iran, Iraq and Syria.