INTERNATIONAL air travel faced widespread disruption over the weekend following missile strikes exchanged between Iran and Israel, prompting emergency airspace closures across multiple Middle Eastern nations and impacting thousands of passengers globally.
According to Euronews, airspace over Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan was shut after reciprocal missile attacks launched in the early hours of Friday and Saturday, compelling airlines to cancel or reroute flights bound for or transiting the region.
Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv was closed until further notice, while major international carriers including Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France, United Airlines and Delta suspended services to affected destinations.
Israeli airlines El Al and Israir also took precautionary measures by relocating their aircraft outside the country.
Reports from local media confirmed that Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria imposed temporary airspace restrictions following the hostilities. Iran closed Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran until 1:30am local time on Saturday, while Syria restricted its airspace until 3pm on Friday as a safety precaution. Jordan permitted limited air traffic under special clearance only.
Iraq halted all air traffic on Friday morning, a move that severely impacted key flight corridors between Europe and Asia which traverse the country's eastern airspace.
The European air traffic agency Eurocontrol stated that at least 1,800 flights to and from Europe were affected on the day of the strikes.
Flights scheduled to pass through Iranian airspace were either cancelled, returned to origin, or diverted via alternative southern routes through Egypt and Saudi Arabia, or northern routes over Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. - June 14, 2025
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