Airlines weigh Middle East cancellations after US strikes in Iran strand thousands
Commercial airlines around the world on Monday were weighing up how long to suspend Middle East flights after the US struck Iran.
Singapore Airlines, one of the highest-profile in Asia, had called the situation "fluid" on Sunday as it cancelled flights from Singapore to Dubai following a security assessment.
The Middle East route has become more important for flights between Europe and Asia since Russian and Ukrainian airspace closed due to war, but flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed empty space over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel.
Air France KLM said on Sunday that it cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday. British Airways, owned by IAG ICAG.L, also cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Doha for Sunday. It was still reviewing the situation, it said in a statement on Sunday evening, when asked about later flights.
Missile and drone barrages in a growing number of conflict zones represent a high risk to airline traffic, and an organisation that monitors flight risks, Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, warned on Sunday that US attacks on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region.
In the days before the US strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar and United Airlines did the same with flights to Dubai.
Airlines are also concerned about a potential spike in oil prices following the US attacks, which will increase the cost of jet fuel.
Israel meanwhile is ramping up flights to help stranded travellers at home and abroad. The country's Airports Authority says that so-called rescue flights to the country would expand on Monday with 24 a day, although each flight would be limited to 50 passengers.
Israeli airline El Al on Sunday said it had received applications to leave the country from about 25,000 people in about a day.
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The Star
27 minutes ago
- The Star
Airlines weigh Middle East cancellations after US strikes in Iran
SOUTH-EAST ASIA (Reuters): Airlines on Monday were weighing how long to suspend Middle East flights as a conflict which has already cut off major flight routes entered a new phase after the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran vowed to defend itself. Cancellations in recent days to typically resilient aviation hubs such as Dubai, the world's busiest international airport, and Qatar's Doha by international carriers show how aviation industry concerns about the region have escalated. The usually busy airspace stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean has been largely empty of commercial air traffic for 10 days since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13, as airlines divert, cancel and delay flights through the region due to airspace closures and safety concerns. Finnair was the first to announce a prolonged suspension of flights to Doha, with cancellations until June 30. Leading Asian carrier Singapore Airlines, which described the situation as "fluid", moved to cancel flights to Dubai through to Tuesday, having previously cancelled only its Sunday service. Air France KLM, IAG-owned Iberia and British Airways, and Kazakhstan's Air Astana all cancelled flights to either Doha or Dubai both on Sunday and Monday. Air France also cancelled flights to Riyadh and said it would suspend flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon until Wednesday included. A spokesperson for Iberia said the carrier has not made a decision regarding later flights. BA said its teams were keeping the situation under review. Carriers are likely avoiding airports in UAE and Qatar and, to a lesser extent, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, due to concerns that Iran or its proxies will target drone or missile attacks on U.S. military bases in these countries, aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions said. With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East had become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia. Amid missile and air strikes during the past 10 days, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Added to increased fuel and crew costs from these long detours and cancellations, carriers also face a potential hike in jet fuel costs as oil prices rise following the U.S. attacks. Australia-based Flight Centre Travel Group said it is getting a small number of customer requests to route journeys to Europe away from Middle Eastern hubs. "The most common transfer hubs that we're seeing requested are Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Johannesburg, or even direct between Perth and London," said Graham Turner, CEO of Australia-based Flight Centre Travel Group. AIRSPACE RISKS Proliferating conflict zones are an increasing operational burden on airlines, as aerial attacks raise worries about accidental or deliberate shoot-downs of commercial air traffic. Location spoofing and GPS interference around political hotspots, where ground-based GPS systems broadcast incorrect positions which can send commercial airliners off course, are also a growing issue for commercial aviation. Flightradar24 told Reuters it had seen a "dramatic increase" in jamming and spoofing in recent days over the Persian Gulf. SkAI, a Swiss company that runs a GPS disruption map, late on Sunday said it had observed more than 150 aircraft spoofed in 24 hours there. Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, said U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region. This could raise additional airspace risks in Gulf states like Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it said. In the days before the U.S. strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar, and United Airlines and Air Canada did the same with flights to Dubai. They have yet to resume. While international airlines are shying away from the region, local carriers in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq are tentatively resuming some flights after widespread cancellations. Israel is ramping up flights to help people return home as well as leave. A handful of so-called rescue flights landed in the country on Monday morning, with 24 in total scheduled for the day. The country's Airports Authority said that Israeli airlines would resume outbound flights on Monday, with a limit of 50 passengers. Israeli airline El Al on Sunday said it had received applications to leave the country from about 25,000 people in about a day. (Reporting by Jack Queen in New York and Lisa Barrington in Seoul; additional reporting by Inti Landauro in Madrid; Editing by Sonali Paul, Kate Mayberry and Louise Heavens) - Reuters
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Oil rises in choppy session as investors weigh up US strikes on Iran
LONDON: Oil prices touched a five-month high before paring gains on Monday as oil and gas transit continued on tankers from the Middle East after US airstrikes against Iran at the weekend. Brent crude futures were up 85 cents, or one per cent, at US$77.86 a barrel by 1126 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude rose by 84 cents, or one per cent, to US$74.68. US President Donald Trump said he had "obliterated" Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes over the weekend, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself. Israel carried out fresh strikes against Iran on Monday including on capital Tehran and the Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow, which was also a target of the US attack. Iran, which is OPEC's third-largest crude producer, said on Monday that the US attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called US President Donald Trump a "gambler" for joining Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, China said the US attack had damaged Washington's credibility and warned that the situation could go "out of control". The Brent and WTI crude benchmarks touched five-month highs of US$81.40 and US$78.40 respectively on Monday before giving up gains to turn negative and then recover to a one per cent gain. Prices have risen since the start of the conflict on June 13 on mounting fears that Iran could retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global crude supply flows. "All eyes remain on the Strait of Hormuz ... and whether Iran will seek to disrupt tanker traffic," said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen. Investors are still weighing up the extent of the geopolitical risk premium, given the Middle East crisis has yet to crimp supply. UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said the risk premium is fading but it is unclear how the conflict might evolve, and prices are likely to remain volatile in the near term. A Goldman Sachs report on Sunday said that Brent could briefly peak at US$110 a barrel if oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz were halved for a month and remain down by 10 per cent for the following 11 months. The bank still assumed no significant disruption to oil and natural gas supply, citing global incentives that prevent sustained and very large disruption. Given the waterway is indispensable for Iran's own oil exports, which are a vital source of its national revenue, a sustained closure would inflict severe economic damage to Iran itself, making it a double-edged sword, said Sugandha Sachdeva at research firm SS WealthStreet.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Hungary and Slovakia block Russian sanctions package, Budapest says
FILE PHOTO: Plastic letters arranged to read "Sanctions" are placed in front of Russian flag colors in this illustration taken February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungary and Slovakia have decided not to support the EU's plan for an 18th sanctions package against Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday in a press briefing broadcast on his Facebook page. Hungary and Slovakia decided to block the sanctions package in response to European Union plans to phase out Russian energy imports, the minister said. "We did this because the European Union ... wants to prohibit member states, including Hungary and Slovakia, from purchasing cheap Russian natural gas and cheap Russian oil as they have done previously," Szijjarto said. Hungary and Slovakia continue to rely on Russian gas and oil supplies and have maintained warm ties with Moscow. The Commission on June 10 proposed a new round of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, targeting Moscow's energy revenues, its banks and its military industry. In response, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that Slovakia will not back the package of sanctions unless the European Commission provides a solution to the situation Slovakia faces if the bloc phases out Russian energy imports. Sanctions proposals require unanimity in the bloc for approval. Late on Sunday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged the EU to take a proposed ban on Russian energy off the agenda due to an expected rise in energy prices following the U.S. bombing of Iran. (Reporting by Anita Komuves; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
