Airlines keep avoiding Middle East airspace after US attack on Iran
Airlines continued to avoid large parts of the Middle East on Sunday after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, with traffic already skirting airspace in the region due to recent missile exchanges.
'Following US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, commercial traffic in the region is operating as it has since new airspace restrictions were put into place last week,' FlightRadar24 said on social media platform X.
Its website showed airlines were not flying in the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel.
They have chosen other routings such as north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, even if it results in higher fuel and crew costs and longer flight times.
Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic.
Since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, carriers have suspended flights to destinations in the affected countries, though there have been some evacuation flights from neighbouring nations and some bringing stranded Israelis home.
Israel's two largest carriers, El Al Israel Airlines and Arkia, said on Sunday they were suspending rescue flights that allowed people to return to Israel until further notice.
Israel's airports authority said the country's airspace was closed for all flights, but land crossings with Egypt and Jordan remained open.
Japan's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had evacuated 21 people, including 16 Japanese nationals, from Iran overland to Azerbaijan. It said it was the second such evacuation since Thursday and that it would conduct further evacuations if necessary.
New Zealand's government said on Sunday it would send a Hercules military transport plane to the Middle East on standby to evacuate New Zealanders from the region.
It said in a statement that government personnel and a C-130J Hercules aircraft would leave Auckland on Monday.
The plane would take some days to reach the region, it said.
The government was also in talks with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist, it added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
33 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
US strikes on Iran 'incredible success', says Pentagon chief
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing at the Pentagon, after the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities, during the Israel-Iran conflict, in Arlington, Virginia, US, June 22, 2025 in this still image taken from handout video. PHOTO: REUTERS US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that US military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities were an incredible and overwhelming success that have obliterated Tehran's nuclear ambitions. The US strikes included 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles and over 125 military aircraft, in an operation the top US general, General Dan Caine, said was named "Operation Midnight." The operation pushes the Middle East to the brink of a major new conflagration in a region already aflame for more than 20 months with wars in Gaza and Lebanon and a toppled dictator in Syria. "Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated," Hegseth told reporters in a briefing, adding that said the strikes did not target Iranian troops or people. "The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back. When this president speaks, the world should listen," Hegseth said.
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Oil to open higher as US strikes on Iran boost supply risk premium
LONDON: Oil is likely to rise by $3-5 per barrel when trading resumes on Sunday evening after the U.S. attacked Iran at the weekend, market analysts said, with gains expected to accelerate only if Iran retaliates hard and causes a major oil supply disruption. U.S. President Donald Trump said he had 'obliterated' Iran's main nuclear sites in strikes overnight, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Tehran vowed to defend itself. Iran is OPEC's third-largest crude producer. 'An oil price jump is expected,' said Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad and a former OPEC official. 'Even in the absence of immediate retaliation, markets are likely to price in a higher geopolitical risk premium.' Global oil benchmark Brent crude could gain $3 to $5 per barrel when markets open, SEB analyst Ole Hvalbye said in a note. Brent settled at $77.01 a barrel on Friday and U.S. West Texas Intermediate at $73.84. Oil prices settle lower Ole Hansen, analyst at Saxo Bank, said crude could open $4 to $5 dollars higher, with potential for some long positioning being unwound. Crude had settled down on Friday after the U.S. imposed fresh Iran-related sanctions, including on two entities based in Hong Kong, and counter-terrorism-related sanctions, according to a notice on the U.S. Treasury Department website. Brent has risen 11% while WTI has gained around 10% since the conflict began on June 13 with Israel targeting Iran's nuclear sites and Iranian missiles hitting buildings in Tel Aviv. Currently stable supply conditions and the availability of spare production capacity among other OPEC members have limited oil's gains. Risk premiums have typically faded when no supply disruptions occurred, said Giovanni Staunovo, analyst at UBS. 'The direction of oil prices from here will depend on whether there are supply disruptions - which would likely result in higher prices - or if there is a de-escalation in the conflict, resulting in a fading risk premium,' he said. A senior Iranian lawmaker said on June 19 that the country could shut the Strait of Hormuz as a way of hitting back against its enemies, though a second member of parliament said this would only happen if Tehran's vital interests were endangered. About a fifth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the strait. SEB said any closure of the strait or spillover into other regional producers would 'significantly lift' oil prices, but they saw this scenario as a tail risk rather than a base case given China's reliance on Gulf crude. Ajay Parmar, oil and energy transition analytics director at consultancy ICIS, said it was unlikely Iran would be able to enforce a blockage of the strait for too long. 'Most of Iran's oil exports to China pass through this strait and Trump is unlikely to tolerate the inevitable subsequent oil price spike for too long - the diplomatic pressure from the world's two largest economies would also be significant,' he said.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
What to know about bunker bombs, US strike on Iran's Fordow
The United States deployed one of its most advanced weapons platforms, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to deliver GBU-57A/B 'bunker-buster' bombs on Iran's fortified Fordow nuclear site, marking a turning point in the escalating conflict involving Israel, Iran and now Washington. Three Iranian nuclear sites — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — were struck using the US Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The Fordow facility, dug deep into a mountain near the city of Qom, had until now withstood Israel's weeklong aerial bombardment. Read: Iran strikes signal Trump's most perilous foreign policy decision But early Sunday, six Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs)—each weighing 30,000 pounds—were dropped by US B-2 aircraft, according to sources briefed on the mission. Tehran has held Washington fully responsible for what it called a 'heinous crime' following US strikes on its nuclear sites, warning of serious consequences. Iran accused the US and Israel of jointly waging war against its people and said the attack violated the UN Charter and Resolution 2231. Read more: Tehran vows self-defence with 'all force' after US strikes three nuclear installations Vowing to defend its sovereignty by all means, Iran warned that silence from the international community would lead to global chaos. The B-2 Spirit, a two-person long-range strategic bomber developed by Northrop Grumman, is a centrepiece of American airpower. Costing over $2.1 billion apiece, only 21 were built. The aircraft's range exceeds 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km) without refuelling, giving it global reach from continental US bases. Also Read: World reacts to US bombing of Iran With mid-air refuelling, it can hit any target on the planet—a capability demonstrated in past operations in Afghanistan, Libya, and now Iran. Equipped with radar-absorbing materials and a sleek, angular design, the B-2's radar signature is so low that it reportedly appears no larger than a bird on enemy radars. This stealth profile allowed it to penetrate Iran's sophisticated air defence network undetected. Designed to carry both nuclear and conventional payloads, the B-2's internal bays can hold over 40,000 pounds (18,000 kg) of ordnance without compromising its stealth. In the Fordow operation, the bombers carried GBU-57A/B bombs, engineered to penetrate over 200 feet of reinforced concrete. Fordow, built under more than 80 metres of rock, was considered one of the most impregnable sites in Iran's nuclear infrastructure. In addition to bunker-busters, the B-2 can carry Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) for precision strikes, Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOWs) for glide bomb attacks beyond air defence range, and JASSM-ER missiles capable of hitting targets more than 500 miles away. It can also be loaded with up to 16 B83 nuclear bombs, making it a key component of the US nuclear triad.
