A double-decker Airbus A380 plane lands at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Lebanese, Jordanian, Iraqi, and Israeli airspace has reopened after the four countries all announced their closure Saturday night during the Iranian drone and missile attack launched against Israel in retaliation for its Damascus embassy attack. The reopening was announced by each respective country in official statements released on Sunday.
The Iranian attack was retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian embassy building in Damascus on April 1, 2024, which killed seven Revolutionary Guards members including a commander of al-Quds force, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi.
Jordan was the first to close its airspace on April 13 at 11:00 p.m. for three hours citing "operational reasons" attributed to rising regional tensions. Approximately 40 flights were affected.
Israel closed its airspace from 12:30 a.m. on April 14 initially saying it would be closed until April 15 at 7:00 a.m. due to "military activity." It later reopened the airspace to commercial flights at 7:00 a.m. on April 14.
Iraq initially closed its airspace from 11:45 p.m. on April 14 to 5:30 a.m. the next day, but later reopened it as the perceived risks diminished.
Lebanon's airspace was closed from April 15 at 1:00 a.m. to April 15 at 7:00 a.m., with commercial flights resuming thereafter. However, the Beirut International Airport's online flight tracker shows around a dozen flights scheduled for departure have been cancelled or delayed.
Kuwait Airways redirected flights away from "areas of tension" during the attack.
Iran has imposed a ban on all VFR (Visual Flight Rules) operations in its airspace from April 13 at 7:01 p.m. to April 24, with exceptions for military, emergency, and pre-approved flights. VFR operations are meant for poor weather conditions and employ aircraft that don't use GPS navigation systems and are untraceable.
Although Iranian airspace remains open, many airlines avoid flying over the country, except for a few such as Qatar Airways, Uzbekistan Airways, and UAE-flagged carriers like Emirates, flydubai, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. Qantas has rerouted its Perth International-London Heathrow services to avoid Iranian airspace.