Egypt orders airlines to clear Iranian airspace

LONDON:

Egypt ordered all its airlines to avoid Iranian airspace for three hours early Thursday amid tensions between Israel and Iran.

The NOTAM, a safety alert issued to pilots on Wednesday, said the directive would be in effect from 01:00 to 04:00 GMT. He did not elaborate on why the notice was issued.

“All Egyptian air carriers will avoid flying over Tehran (Flight Information Area). No flight plans will be accepted over such territory,” the statement said, referring to the three-hour fixed period.

Egypt’s Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed later on Wednesday that the notice was intended to reduce risks to flight safety in light of a notification it received from Iranian authorities.

“Military exercises will be held in Iranian airspace on August 7 from 11:30 to 14:30 and from 4:30 to 7:30 on August 8 Tehran time,” the statement said.

The ministry’s press statement followed an unnamed source quoted by state broadcaster Al Qahera News as saying that Iranian authorities had told them to avoid flying into Iranian airspace because of “military exercises”.

Several airlines are revising their routes to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace, while also suspending flights to Israel and Lebanon, as many fear a possible wider conflict after the killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah militants .

“Such a NOTAM from Egypt is very unusual. It is possible that this is an indicator of an Iranian response to Israel, and in turn a potentially large set of airspace disturbances – at the same time, there may be another reason,” OPSGROUP, a membership-based organization that shares flight risk information, said.

On Sunday, Jordanian authorities asked all airlines landing at its airports to carry 45 minutes of extra fuel.

Countries in the region, including Jordan, closed their airspace earlier this year amid Israeli airstrikes.