Airlines clear out of Middle East airspace after huge missile attack by Iran

Airlines have cleared out of Middle East airspace as Iranian missiles rain down on Israel, pushing the region closer to all-out war.

Flight radar images show airlines giving the Middle East a wide berth after Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel, amid rising tensions in the region.

A notice to airmen issued overnight advised of airspace closures over Iraq and Jordan in response to the air strikes, resulting in abrupt changes to flight paths.

Qantas flight QF34 from Paris to Perth normally flew over the top of those countries as shown on flight radar, but it’s understood alternative paths were being taken.

Wow, Iran took a Serious Risk tonight besides from just launching an Attack on Israel. Since they did not issue a NOTAM for their Western Airspace before launching the Attack, several Commercial Airliners came within Close-Range of Ballistic Missile Launches, including this one… https://t.co/94bT4mpQUs

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) October 2, 2024

Qantas was also believed to be re-routing its Perth-London, and Perth-Rome flights, to ensure their safe operation.

A spokeswoman said they had many routes available to them, and frequently changed paths for weather or security reasons.

In August, Qantas briefly sent Perth-London flights via Singapore to avoid parts of the Middle East.

Flight radar images show the path Qantas’ Perth-Paris flight would normally take – the airline is re-routing services away from the danger zone in the Middle East. Picture: Flightradar24.com

Other international airlines were diverting away from Iraqi airspace, with queues developing at airports in Istanbul and Cairo by aircraft seeking to refuel.

An Emirates spokeswoman said the airline had “cancelled some flights and diverted others”.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and are making all efforts to ensure minimal disruption to customers, while assisting those impacted,” said the spokeswoman.

“Emirates advises customers departing or arriving at Dubai International Airport to check their flight status on emirates.com for the latest information regarding their flights.”

Flights to Europe and the UK from the east were already challenged by the war in Ukraine, forcing more airlines to use paths over the Middle East.

Safety was considered the highest priority for airlines following the tragic rocket strike on Malaysia Airlines’ flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, that killed all 298 people on board, including 40 Australians.

Since then two other civilian flights have been shot down including an Ukraine International Airlines service flying from Tehran to Kyiv and an East African Express Airways charter flight in Somalia.

The UIA flight was unintentionally targeted by the Iranian Islamic revolutionary guard corps shortly after takeoff from Tehran, after being mistaken for a cruise missile launched by the US.

The East African Airways flight was fired on by Ethiopian ground forces, and remains under investigation by the Somali government.

Originally published as Airlines clear out of Middle East airspace after huge missile attack by Iran