The Emirates logo on an Emirates Airline Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, after its arrival at Mexico City International Airport on its inaugural route between Dubai and Mexico via Barcelona, in Mexico, on December 9, 2019. (Credit: Henry Romero/Reuters.)
BEIRUT — Air France, Air India, Emirates, or Qatar Airways announced on Friday the suspension of dozens of flights to and from the Middle East, or planning to fly over the region, after Israeli strikes on Iranian territory.
The largest European airline group Lufthansa also suspended its routes with Tehran until August, a spokeswoman told AFP on Friday, facing the risk of escalation in the Middle East following Israeli strikes in Iran.
Israel, Iran, as well as Iraq and Jordan closed their airspace on Friday morning.
Flights will be interrupted until July 31 to and from the Iranian capital. Lufthansa is also extending the suspension of connections with Tel-Aviv for the same period and will avoid the airspace of the two countries, as well as that of Iraq, "until further notice." Swiss, the Swiss subsidiary of Lufthansa, stated it is aligning itself with the decisions of the parent company but has taken additional precautions. "To ensure better planning and operational stability for our passengers, crews, and operations, Swiss has also decided not to resume its flights to Tel Aviv for the rest of the summer season, until October 25," the airline specified in a statement.
Flights to Beirut are also affected and "temporarily suspended until July 31." "We are also avoiding, until further notice, the airspace of the concerned countries," Swiss further states, adding that this may extend flight duration to certain destinations in Asia "by up to 30 minutes."
Air France announced on Friday the suspension of its flights between Paris and Tel Aviv "until further notice," but is maintaining its flights to Lebanon and other airports in the region. "Because of the situation in Iran," several Air India flights between India and the United States or Europe had to stop on Friday morning in European, Saudi, or Emirati airports, the company indicated on its site.
The Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights on Friday morning were about to enter Iranian airspace when Israel launched its attack, and the planes turned back to their home airports, according to the Flight Aware site. Gulf airlines, on the other hand, canceled several flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria. The airport in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, warned of "flight disruptions" expected "throughout the day."
The same scenario occurred at Dubai's international airports, which reported "cancellations or delays due to airspace closures in Iran, Iraq, and Syria," according to a statement posted on the social network X. On Friday shortly after the launch of the Israeli attack on several Iranian cities, Jordan and Iraq announced the closure of their airspace and the suspension of flights in their airports.
The Israeli military indicated that about 200 fighter planes participated in this operation targeting a hundred targets, nuclear facilities, and military sites across the Islamic Republic of Iran. It also indicated that it was attempting to intercept "about 100 drones" launched by Iran in retaliation towards Israeli territory.
