Airlines avoid parts of Iran-controlled airspace after U.S. regulator's order

[rooster59]

Airlines avoid parts of Iran-controlled airspace after U.S. regulator's order

By Jamie Freed and David Shepardson

 

FILE PHOTO: A vehicle of the airport rescue and firefighting services stands in front as a Boeing 767-400ER aircraft of United Airlines takes off from Zurich airport, April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

 

(Reuters) - Some global airlines are re-routing flights to avoid Iran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, they said on Friday, after the U.S. aviation regulator barred its carriers from the area until further notice.

 

Thursday's emergency order from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came after Iran shot down a high-altitude U.S. drone with a surface-to-air missile, sparking concerns about a threat to the safety of commercial airlines.

 

The downing of the unarmed Global Hawk drone, which can fly up to 60,000 ft (18,300 m), was the latest in a series of incidents in the Gulf region, a critical artery for global oil supplies, that included explosive strikes on six oil tankers.

 

According to flight tracking applications, the FAA said, the nearest civil aircraft was operating within about 45 nautical miles of the unmanned aircraft when it was shot down.

 

"There were numerous civil aviation aircraft operating in the area at the time of the intercept," the FFA said, adding that its prohibition would stay in place until further notice.

 

Hours earlier, United Airlines suspended flights between New Jersey's Newark airport and India's financial capital of Mumbai following a safety review.

 

Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd, Singapore Airlines Ltd, Germany's Lufthansa, British Airways and KLM of the Netherlands said they were re-routing flights to avoid the area.

 

Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways, which were flying over the area earlier on Friday, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, said later they were also re-routing their flights.

 

'THREAT IS REAL'

 

The FAA said it remained concerned about the escalation of tension and military activity in close proximity to high-volume civil aircraft routes as well as Iran's willingness to use long-range missiles in international airspace with little or no warning.

 

In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over Ukraine, killing all 298 on board, prompting carriers to take more steps to uncover threats to their planes.

 

But concerns persist over inadequate government intelligence sharing and a reluctance by countries involved in conflicts to divulge information or sacrifice overflight fees by closing their skies, according to safety experts.

 

The U.S. ban does not apply to airlines from other countries, but OPSGROUP, which provides guidance to operators, said carriers globally would take it into consideration.

 

"Since MH17, all countries rely on advice from the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany to highlight airspace risk," it said.

"The threat of a civil aircraft shootdown in southern Iran is real," it added.

 

Restricting airspace complicates airline efforts to keep routes running in a region where airspace is already congested, in part due to ongoing conflicts which have made it unsafe to fly over some countries.

 

At 0820 GMT on Friday, Flightradar24 showed Qatar Airways flights in the area barred to U.S. carriers.

 

On Monday, before the drone was shot down, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker told Reuters the airline "has a very robust plan B for any eventualities, including if there is a conflict in our region."

 

Qatar Airways did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Friday on whether it had introduced new measures since the drone was shot down.

 

Etihad, which had said it was monitoring the situation, later said in a statement it had agreed "to change a number of the flight paths we operate to and from the Arabian Gulf" after close consultation with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

 

FLIGHTS SUSPENDED

 

United said it had suspended its flights to India through Iran airspace after a "thorough safety and security review," but did not say how long the suspension would last.

 

A United spokesman said customers flying from Mumbai to Newark would be booked on alternative flights back to the United States.

 

"We continue to explore all our options and remain in close contact with relevant government authorities," he added.

A Lufthansa spokesman said the company's planes had been avoiding the Strait of Hormuz since Thursday. He added that Lufthansa had extended the no-fly zone over Iran on Friday, without being more specific. The airline is still serving Iran's capital, Tehran.

 

Netherlands flag carrier KLM was no longer flying over the Strait of Hormuz, a spokesman said on Friday, while British Airways said it would adhere to the FAA guidance and use alternative routes.

 

Malaysia Airlines said it was avoiding the airspace, which it had previously used on flights between Kuala Lumpur and London, Jeddah and Medina.

 

Qantas said it was adjusting flight paths to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman until further notice. Singapore Airlines said some flights might require longer routings to avoid the area.

 

On Thursday, two other U.S. carriers, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, said they did not fly over Iran. Japanese carriers Japan Airlines Co Ltd and ANA Holdings Inc also said they did not fly over the area.

 

(Reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore and David Shepardson in Washington; Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Dubai, Tracy Rucinski in Chicago, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, Kathrin Jones and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt, Liz Lee in Kuala Lumpur, Tim Kelly in Tokyo, Tom Westbrook in Sydney and Alistair Smout in London; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Nick Macfie, Darren Schuettler and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-22

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[Tug]

That certainly seems prudent 

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

as well as Iran's willingness to use long-range missiles in international airspace with little or no warning.

Where and when was such willingness shown?

I don't recall a single Iran-launched long-range missile in international airspace.

The FAA is being politicalized for a U.S. war against Iran.

Yet, North Korea had launched nuclear capable IBCM's over Japanese territory and Trump showed no concerns. Perhaps because the launches didn't involve U.S. territory?

Israel has Jericho long-range nuclear capable missiles and I'm sure a willingness to use them (otherwise why have them?). What has the FAA done about restrictions on international airspace near Israel?

[Ozman52]

2008 " Ali Shirazi, representative of the Revolutionary Guards naval forces said, warned that Iran would "set fire" to Israel and the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf as its first response to any pre-emptive strike by America or Israel over its nuclear program.[32] Brig. Gen. Hoseyn Salami, commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' air force, said: "Our missiles are ready for shooting at any place and any time, quickly and with accuracy". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahab-3

 

Diversion seems like a sound idea, even allowing for the usual level of Iranian rhetoric (aka BS).

[Lokie]

When the Russians Buk shot down the Malaysian x Amsterdam flight in Ukraine flights were vectored south of the area from most of Europe, when Syria kicked off - same flights towards LOS via gulf states were flying wide out of Turkey into Iranian airspace then back across the gulf, now rapidly running out of safe airspace to fly through in this day and age...?

[MBFC1960]

What would happen if Iran would launch drone over US airspace? Or was the Drone part of the *rescue* mission. 

[pegman]

On June 21, 2019 at 5:45 PM, Tug said:

That certainly seems prudent 

Especially prudent considering recent history. No airline wants one of their planes mistaken for an Iranian passenger plane.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

[neeray]

12 hours ago, Lokie said:

When the Russians Buk shot down the Malaysian x Amsterdam flight in Ukraine flights were vectored south of the area from most of Europe, when Syria kicked off - same flights towards LOS via gulf states were flying wide out of Turkey into Iranian airspace then back across the gulf, now rapidly running out of safe airspace to fly through in this day and age...?

"Fly the Friendly Skies"  A diminishing commodity !

[Tug]

2 hours ago, pegman said:

Especially prudent considering recent history. No airline wants one of their planes mistaken for an Iranian passenger plane.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

The Vincennes I rember what a tragedy a major <deleted> on the part of the us navy major 

[Morch]

21 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Where and when was such willingness shown?

I don't recall a single Iran-launched long-range missile in international airspace.

The FAA is being politicalized for a U.S. war against Iran.

Yet, North Korea had launched nuclear capable IBCM's over Japanese territory and Trump showed no concerns. Perhaps because the launches didn't involve U.S. territory?

Israel has Jericho long-range nuclear capable missiles and I'm sure a willingness to use them (otherwise why have them?). What has the FAA done about restrictions on international airspace near Israel?

 

I think you misunderstood the comment. It refers to long-range interceptors such as was used to shoot down the drone. There is no clear reference to Iran's ballistic missile program and such. The phrasing could have been better, but the rationale is sound.

 

It's not a bad idea to divert flights elsewhere, as long as tensions run high - the phrasing and reasoning could be taken issue with. It can be claimed, if one adopts the USA version of events, that the drone was intercepted in international airspace. This would give the argument some credibility - if it wasn't for the drone flying in the same international airspace with, allegedly, transponder in off mode.

 

Iran got enough landmass to carry out ballistic missile experiments within it's borders. Could prove a bit harder when it comes to longer-than-2000-kilometer-range varieties. Other than Iran acting in defiance of UNSC resolutions with some of these launches, it also (as far as I recall) doesn't issue much advance warnings to civilian air traffic flying over Iran.

[Morch]

5 hours ago, MBFC1960 said:

What would happen if Iran would launch drone over US airspace? Or was the Drone part of the *rescue* mission. 

 

There's no clear indication that the drone was in Iranian airspace. That's the Iranian claim, and accepting it as fact is choice. No idea what "rescue" mission is alluded to.

[Morch]

2 hours ago, pegman said:

Especially prudent considering recent history. No airline wants one of their planes mistaken for an Iranian passenger plane.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

 

Wouldn't know that 30 years back makes "recent history". What I do know is that when other references are made to related events, such as Iran's involvement in the so-called "tanker war" - some posters get all indignant and claim "off topic" etc.