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Iran launched a large-scale missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.
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Iran, Israel and other neighboring countries closed their airspace, forcing flight diversions.
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Some Lufthansa flights returned to Frankfurt a few hours after their journey to India and Dubai.
Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel Tuesday as tensions rise in the Middle East.
In response, airspace over Iran, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and other countries in the region was closed by several authorities on Tuesday, and airlines responded quickly to keep their flights out of harm’s way.
In some cases, planes were diverted en route to their destination avoid the restricted airspace.
According to FlightRadar24At least three flights of German airline Lufthansa bound for India and Dubai turned around before reaching Iranian airspace. The trips back to Europe extended their flight times to eight hours.
Another Swiss-operated flight from Zurich to Dubai was diverted to Antalya, Turkey, shortly before it was due to cross Iran, FlightRadar24 shows.
The flight tracking website also showed that several Emirates flights bound for Dubai were affected. That’s what the airline said AirlineGeeks that it diverted some flights and canceled others.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are doing everything we can to minimize disruption to customers while helping those affected,” a spokesperson said.
Several other airlines were also forced to divert as route options between Europe, the Middle East and Asia remained limited.
FlightRadar24 facts shows that on Tuesday, a British Airways flight from London to Dubai, a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight from Paris to Amman and an Israeli airline El Al flight from Rhodes, Greece, to Tel Aviv were all diverted to Larnaca, Cyprus.
British Airways told Business Insider: “Safety and security are always our highest priorities, and we continually assess and adjust our operations accordingly.”
Some restrictions were lifted during the day, FlightRadar24 said. Jordan and Iraq reopened to flights late Tuesday local time, although few flew through the region.
Continued airspace closures allow airlines to add hours of extra flight time to bypass Iran and Israel and reach places in Europe, the Middle East, India and beyond – similar to what happened after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Airlines including Japan Airlines, British Airways and Finnair added up to four hours of flight time to avoid Kremlin airspace on flights between Asia and Europe amid Russian airspace closures and sanctions.
Read the original article Business insider