Airlines are continuing to avoid Middle East airspace following U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting major shifts in global air traffic routes and travel disruptions across the region.
According to flight tracking site FlightRadar24, commercial flights are steering clear of the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. Instead, airlines are choosing longer, more expensive routes over the Caspian Sea, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia to ensure passenger safety amid rising tensions.
This redirection comes in the wake of U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, which triggered a wave of retaliatory drone and missile exchanges. Many carriers suspended regular services to affected countries, offering only limited evacuation or rescue flights in recent days.
On Sunday, Israel’s two largest airlines, El Al and Arkia, halted their special return flights and extended scheduled cancellations through June 27. Meanwhile, Israel’s airports authority closed national airspace to all commercial traffic, though land borders with Egypt and Jordan remain open.
Several governments have stepped in to extract their citizens. Japan evacuated 21 people from Iran to Azerbaijan by land, marking its second such effort in recent days. New Zealand announced it will dispatch a military C-130 Hercules aircraft to the region this week to support evacuation efforts.
Global airlines remain on high alert as tensions persist. With growing instability in multiple conflict zones, aviation experts warn that commercial air travel in the Middle East may remain restricted for the foreseeable future.