Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq reopen airspace closed over Iran’s attacks on Israel
The airspaces of Arab countries were shut down due to Iran's missile and drone strikes on Israel. As a result, numerous flights have been impacted and continue to be so.
Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon have decided to lift their flight restrictions after temporarily shutting down their airspace due to Iran's unexpected drone and missile strikes in Israel.
On Sunday, aviation authorities reported that Jordan had resumed its air traffic operations, as announced on state TV. Surprisingly, the opening of the country's airspace happened over three hours earlier than planned.
According to state TV, Lebanon has announced that its airport will recommence operations following its temporary shut down.
The aviation authority in Iraq has announced that they have successfully dealt with potential security issues.
At the same time, Israel has resumed its airspace operations starting from 7:30am (04:30 GMT) on Sunday. It has been announced that the flight schedules departing from Tel Aviv are predicted to be altered.
El Al, the main airline of Israel, announced that it has resumed its services and is putting all efforts into ensuring that the flight schedule remains stable. The company has pledged to maintain the necessary air connectivity to and from Israel, even during these challenging times.
On Saturday night, Iran deployed explosive drones and launched missiles towards Israel, marking their initial direct attack on Israeli land as a counter-attack. This escalation in aggression heightens the possibility of a larger regional conflict.
The city of Tehran promised to take revenge in response to an alleged assault by Israel on Iran's embassy grounds in Damascus. The attack resulted in the death of a high-ranking officer in the Quds Force, which is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas division, as well as six other officials.
According to two security sources in the region, Reuters reported that Jordan had prepared its air defence systems to stop any drones or missiles that trespassed into its land. Jordan is situated between Israel and Iran.
According to a statement by the cabinet, Jordan has reported intercepting certain objects in its airspace last night so as to keep its citizens protected and secure.
During that timeframe, small pieces of debris landed in various locations; however, there were no notable negative effects or harm caused to community members.
The response to the strikes executed by Iran has been quick, with numerous nations perceiving the assaults as a major increase in hostility that could have considerable repercussions throughout the region.
The assaults are happening during the ongoing Israeli conflict with Gaza. Despite several attempts at mediation, there seem to be no signs of it subsiding.
At the same time, airlines around the world have been canceling flights and altering their designated paths in response to the recent attacks by Iran.
According to a representative from Emirates, the airline which is situated in the United Arab Emirates, a number of planned flights have been cancelled and certain routes have been altered.
A representative from the airline expressed that they are keeping a close eye on the situation and working hard to guarantee customer inconvenience is kept to a minimum following the recent closure of airspace.
On Sunday, the airline, Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi made an announcement stating that they will be cancelling their flights to Jordan and Israel.
On Sunday, Swiss International Air Lines announced on X, a social media platform, that they have halted their flights to and from Tel Aviv indefinitely.
The airline company Swiss, which is under the ownership of German carrier Lufthansa, declared that all of its aircrafts are refraining from travelling through the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Israel. This move led to some hindrances and tardiness in the journeys from Singapore and India.
Lufthansa has announced that it is halting flights to Amman, Beirut, Erbil, and Tel Aviv until at least Monday in light of the recent unrest in the Middle East.
The German airline has informed Reuters news agency that they will make certain that their flights do not pass through the airspace of Israel, Jordan and Iraq for an undefined period of time.
Austrian Airlines, a member of the Lufthansa Group, declared that it would temporarily stop operations to Tehran until the 18th of April.
In a statement, the airline announced that they will redirect their long-distance flights passing through the Middle East as there have been several airspace closures in the region.
According to the ISNA news agency, as a safety measure, the Imam Khomeini international airport and the Mehrabad airport, which mostly operate domestic flights, will stay shut until 6 am on Monday (at 2:30 am GMT).
