Egypt bans night flights over Tehran
A possible Iranian retaliatory strike against Israel has been in the air for days. Egypt has now issued a highly unusual flight directive. Experts interpret this as a sign of an imminent military strike. Tehran, however, describes the situation as normal.
Egypt has prohibited its airlines from flying over the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Thursday night. "All Egyptian airlines should avoid flights over Tehran," the Egyptian civil aviation authority said in a security notice. Plans for flights over this area will be rejected. The directive applies from 3 a.m. Thursday (MEZ) for three hours.
Such a directive from Egypt is "very unusual," wrote the OPS Group, which informs its members about risks and changes in international air traffic. "It is possible that this is an indication of an Iranian response to Israel," the group wrote, referring to a possible impending attack that has been speculated about for days. In such a case, there could be many disruptions in air traffic.
Egypt's civil aviation authority referred to a warning from Iranian authorities that military exercises are planned around the same time in the country. The aim of the Egyptian authority's directive is to protect passengers and air traffic. Previously, Jordan had already prepared aircraft in its airspace for a possible Iranian attack on Israel. All arriving aircraft were temporarily asked to be refueled for an additional 45 minutes of flight time. An Iranian attack against Israel could also play out in the sky over Jordan, as it did in April.
Tehran describes situation as normal
Following the killing of Hamas' external chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and the killing of a military commander of the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, the danger of a major war in the Middle East has increased significantly. Iran, Hezbollah, and the Islamist Hamas have announced retaliation against Israel.
The information desk of the international airport in Tehran described the situation in the Iranian airspace as normal. Only some airlines like Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines had temporarily suspended their flights to Tehran due to a possible military conflict with Israel. Turkish Airlines had stopped night flights.
The Commission has agreed to Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines' requests to suspend their flights to Tehran temporarily due to the potential military conflict with Israel. The Egyptian civil aviation authority's directive to avoid flights over Tehran also highlights the Commission's concern for the safety of its member airlines.
