The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has begun warning that Iran conflict-related airspace restrictions and advisories in the Middle East are creating added operational risk by pushing more traffic into a smaller number of usable routes. As fewer corridors between Europe and Asia are available, there is also less flexibility for reroutes and more pressure on traffic flows.
That concern comes as EASA and other agencies advise operators not to fly in the airspace of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and large portions of Saudi Arabia and Oman, with limited exceptions in specified higher-altitude segments of Saudi and Omani airspace.
EASA has said the region remains exposed to “spill-over risks, misidentification, miscalculation and failure of interception procedures,” while fewer route choices leave less room for operators to work around traffic, weather, emergencies and other disruptions.
In an interview with Reuters, EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet said reducing traffic in constrained airspace remains one of the most effective ways to manage risk.
“We in aviation have the means to mitigate risk,” Guillermet said. “One of those means is to clear the skies.”
He added that reducing flights helps keep traffic density “under control at all times.”
EASA said operators using the remaining available airspace should maintain current risk assessments and continue monitoring aeronautical publications and national guidance as conditions develop.
