Qantas changes flight paths from Australia to London as US and Iran tension continues

Qantas has confirmed it is changing its flight paths from Australia to London, after Iran shot down a US drone this week.

Qantas is changing its flight paths for its popular routes from Australia to London, which fly through Iranian airspace, after Tehran shot down a US drone this week.

Qantas has confirmed to News Corp Australia that its QF1, QF2, QF9 and QF10 flight paths which go over the Middle East, will be adjusted.

“We’re adjusting our flight paths over the Middle East to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman until further notice,” a Qantas spokesman said.

The impact on flying time will be negligible for passengers on Qantas flights.

All Qantas flights usually cross the Middle East at around 40,000 feet.

QF1 and QF2 — the daily “kangaroo route” — takes passengers between Sydney and London via Singapore.

On the London-bound leg (QF1), the flight traverses Iraq almost diagonally before heading in to Turkey and on through eastern Europe.

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The news comes as the US Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA) ordered American carriers to stay out of airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman as tensions continue to escalate in the region.

US officials also confirmed that US President Donald Trump approved a retaliatory strike against Iran before he called it off.

On Friday Tehran said it had “indisputable” evidence that the drone had violated Iranian airspace.

An RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. A US spy drone was some 34 kilometres from the nearest point in Iran when it was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. Picture: AFP

United Airlines had already pre-empted the FAA ban by suspending its regular flight from New Jersey to Mumbai, which also crosses Iranian airspace.

Passenger safety in contentious airspace has been a live issue this week, after Dutch authorities issued arrest warrants for three Russians and one Ukrainian in relation to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in July 2014. All 298 people on board were killed, including 40 people who called Australia home.

What the Pentagon says shows a smoke trail that was left after a US Global Hawk drone was shot down over the Gulf of Oman. Picture: AFP

Responding to Wednesday’s report, Russian president Vladimir Putin appeared to blame Ukraine for the tragedy, saying they failed to close their airspace to commercial flights.

Acting upon advice from American sources, Qantas avoided Ukrainian airspace prior to the MH17 incident.