Israel-Iran conflict: Major airlines divert flights after airspace closure

LONDON - The majority of the airlines diverted their flights after the airspace was closed by multiple countries in the wee hours of Sunday.

The airspace was closed after Iran launched drone attacks against Israel, triggering concerns about regional instability.

United Airlines canceled its Newark to Tel Aviv flight on Saturday after Israel closed its airspace; the carrier had resumed service to Tel Aviv early last month. Meanwhile, Jordan and Iraq also closed their airspace, according to Jordanian state-owned media news outlet Al Mamlak.

United canceled its flight from Washington to Jordan on Saturday night and its Newark-Dubai flight on Sunday.

The Turkish Airlines flight headed for Karachi, Pakistan changed its route midway while flights operating between Islamabad and Lahore had to take the longer route.  

Moreover, Swiss International Airlines also announced that some flights avoided large swaths of airspace in the Middle East that delayed some planes.

Meanwhile, Israel’s El Al also canceled over 20 Sunday flights. Emirates Airlines also canceled its Dubai-Amman flight scheduled for Sunday. Besides, Air France’s Israel service was canceled for Sunday and British Airways also canceled its two flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday; Lufthansa also canceled its service to Israel.

The airspace closures were recorded after Iran launched an attack on Israel using dozens of drones and missiles, according to the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).  The IRGC said it has released the drones and missiles under the operation “True Promise”, adding that the move is part of the punishment for the “Israeli crimes”.

“Iran has begun an airborne attack against Israel,” US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a Saturday statement. “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”

Syrian military remains on high alert while Iraq, Jordan and Israel announced that they have closed their air space.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship with links to Israel in the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route. 

Strains between Iran and Israel have been heating up since the start of the war in Gaza in October, and especially over the past several weeks after Israel perpetrated an attack on its consulate in Damascus on April 1. 

Iranian leaders, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had previously pledged to retaliate against Israel for the Damascus strike and Israel, in turn, threatened a counterattack of its own.