This archive report was first published on 8 January 2020.
On January 8, 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned US carriers from flying over Iraq and Iran due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions in the Middle East.
Several major airlines, including Emirates Airline and Qantas Airways, have re-routed flights to avoid airspace over Iraq and Iran. The FAA ban also includes the Gulf of Oman and the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Before the latest guidance, the FAA had already prohibited US carriers from flying below 26,000 feet over Iraq and from flying over an area of Iranian airspace above the Gulf and Gulf of Oman since Iran shot down a high-altitude US drone last June.
Carriers are increasingly taking steps to limit threats to their planes after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down in 2014 by a missile over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
Transport Canada said it was in close contact with the FAA about the situation in the Middle East and that Air Canada was altering its routes.
India's aviation regulator has not issued formal instructions to airlines yet but has held meetings with those concerned and advised them to remain vigilant and take precautions.
Several airlines, including Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Taiwan's China Airlines, have also announced changes to their flight routes to avoid Iraqi and Iranian airspace.
OPSGROUP, which advises airlines on security, said the new US airspace bans were 'significant', particularly given that the entire overwater airspace in the region is now unavailable.
With tensions mounting in the Middle East, airlines and the UN aviation agency have started to monitor strategic airspace over Iran and Iraq.
