“Airlines have opted for alternative routes, journeying northward over the Caspian Sea or southward through Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, despite the increased expenditure on fuel and crew, as well as the extended duration of travel.”
Airlines Steer Clear of Middle Eastern Skies Following U.S. Strikes on Iran
In the wake of airstrikes conducted by the United States on Iranian nuclear facilities, numerous international airlines have continued to divert their flight paths away from vast portions of the Middle East as of Sunday, June 22, 2025. This information was reported by the flight-tracking service, FlightRadar24. The region’s airspace has already been avoided in recent days due to escalating hostilities and missile exchanges.
“Following the recent attacks by the United States on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, commercial aviation in the region remains subject to the airspace restrictions that came into effect last week,” stated FlightRadar24 on the social media platform X.
Visual data from the platform revealed that commercial aircraft are avoiding the skies above Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. Instead, airlines are choosing alternative routes—either northward over the Caspian Sea or southward through Egyptian and Saudi Arabian airspace—despite the increased expenditure on fuel, extended flight durations, and heightened crew costs.
The growing frequency of missile and drone assaults across various conflict zones around the globe continues to pose a substantial threat to civilian aviation.
Safe Airspace, an aviation risk advisory website maintained by OPSGROUP, a member-based association that disseminates information on flight safety, cautioned on Sunday that the recent U.S. offensive may elevate the risks for American operators traversing the region.
“Although no direct threats have been issued against civil aviation thus far, Iran has in the past declared its intention to retaliate against U.S. military interests in the region—whether by its own hand or through affiliated entities such as Hezbollah,” the advisory noted.
Since Israel commenced airstrikes on Iranian targets on June 13, several airlines have suspended services to and from the affected nations. A limited number of evacuation flights from neighboring countries have been conducted to repatriate stranded citizens, including Israelis.
In anticipation of the U.S. strikes, American Airlines had suspended operations to Qatar, while United Airlines halted flights to Dubai.
Safe Airspace further warned that the potential for heightened airspace risk may now extend to additional countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. “We continue to urge the utmost caution during this period of uncertainty,” the organization advised.
Israel’s primary carriers—El Al Israel Airlines, Arkia, and Israir—announced on Sunday the suspension of their rescue flight operations until further notice. El Al also declared that all scheduled flights would remain cancelled through June 27.
Meanwhile, the Israel Airports Authority confirmed that the nation’s airspace remains closed to all commercial flights, though land border crossings with Egypt and Jordan are still operational.
Tens of thousands of travelers with plans to fly to Israel now find themselves stranded abroad. Concurrently, nearly 40,000 foreign tourists currently in Israel are seeking means to depart the country, with some making their way overland to Amman, Jordan, while others are departing by sea en route to Cyprus. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism is actively working to assist with these departures.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that, as of Sunday, it had successfully evacuated 21 individuals—including 16 Japanese nationals—from Iran to Azerbaijan by land. This marks the second such evacuation in recent days, with further operations planned as conditions require.
In a related development, the Government of New Zealand announced its decision to dispatch a Hercules military transport aircraft to the Middle East, placing it on standby for the evacuation of its citizens. A statement from the government confirmed that personnel and the C-130J Hercules aircraft would depart Auckland on Monday, with an estimated several days required to reach the affected region.