Reuters
Israel briefly reopened its airspace on Sunday and is expanding flight operations on Monday, aiming to help tens of thousands of travellers stranded by widespread cancellations across the Middle East after the US attacked Iran.
An organisation that monitors flight risks warned on Sunday that US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region.
With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed due to war, the Middle East has become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia, but flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed empty space over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. Airlines have chosen routings such as north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, even if these mean higher fuel and crew costs and longer flight times.
Air France KLM (AIRF.PA), opens new tab said it has cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday. Singapore Airlines said it cancelled flights from Singapore to Dubai following a security assessment and British Airways cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Doha. Those cancellations were only for Sunday, but Singapore said other flights between Singapore and Dubai may be affected as the situation remains "fluid".
BA, owned by IAG (ICAG.L), opens new tab, said customers scheduled to travel between now and June 24 to Dubai and Doha can rebook up to and including July 6, free of charge.
Israel meanwhile is starting to find ways for citizens stranded abroad to get home and for foreign tourists to leave, if slowly. Israeli airline El Al on Sunday said it had received applications to leave the country from about 25,000 people in about a day.
Israel's Airports Authority said so-called rescue flights to the country would expand starting on Monday with 24 a day from various destinations, although each flight would be limited to 50 passengers. El Al said it would start servicing eight international destinations on Monday after getting the massive wave of requests to leave the country. Following an early barrage of Iranian missiles, Israel also reopened its airspace for six hours on Sunday to bring back those stranded abroad since the conflict with Iran began on June 13.
Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, said the US attacks on Iran may increase risks to US operators in the region.
An organisation that monitors flight risks warned on Sunday that US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites could heighten the threat to American operators in the region.
With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed due to war, the Middle East has become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia, but flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed empty space over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. Airlines have chosen routings such as north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, even if these mean higher fuel and crew costs and longer flight times.
Air France KLM (AIRF.PA), opens new tab said it has cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday. Singapore Airlines said it cancelled flights from Singapore to Dubai following a security assessment and British Airways cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Doha. Those cancellations were only for Sunday, but Singapore said other flights between Singapore and Dubai may be affected as the situation remains "fluid".
BA, owned by IAG (ICAG.L), opens new tab, said customers scheduled to travel between now and June 24 to Dubai and Doha can rebook up to and including July 6, free of charge.
Israel meanwhile is starting to find ways for citizens stranded abroad to get home and for foreign tourists to leave, if slowly. Israeli airline El Al on Sunday said it had received applications to leave the country from about 25,000 people in about a day.
Israel's Airports Authority said so-called rescue flights to the country would expand starting on Monday with 24 a day from various destinations, although each flight would be limited to 50 passengers. El Al said it would start servicing eight international destinations on Monday after getting the massive wave of requests to leave the country. Following an early barrage of Iranian missiles, Israel also reopened its airspace for six hours on Sunday to bring back those stranded abroad since the conflict with Iran began on June 13.
Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, said the US attacks on Iran may increase risks to US operators in the region.
