Iran reopened its airspace on Wednesday night following an almost five-hour shutdown that disrupted international travel and fuelled fears of a potential military confrontation between Tehran and Washington. The closure forced several airlines to cancel, reroute, or delay flights passing through Iranian territory.
According to a notice posted on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website, Iran closed its airspace at 5:15 p.m. ET (2215 GMT), allowing only flights to and from Iran that had official clearance. The restriction was lifted shortly before 10 p.m. ET (0300 GMT), data from flight tracking serviceIran reopens airspace after a five-hour shutdown amid fears of U.S. military action, disrupting flights and prompting global airlines to reroute. Flightradar24 showed. Among the first aircraft to resume flights were those operated by Iranian carriers Mahan Air, Yazd Airways and AVA Airlines.
Flightradar24 noted that at the same time the previous week, dozens of aircraft had been transiting Iranian airspace, underscoring the suddenness of the shutdown.
Rising Regional Tensions
The temporary closure came as U.S. President Donald Trump continued to weigh a possible response to unrest in Iran, where large-scale anti-government protests have swept the country. The United States has begun withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East after a senior Iranian official warned that Tehran would strike American positions if Washington launched an attack.
Analysts say the region’s mounting instability, marked by frequent missile and drone strikes, has increased the risk to commercial air traffic.
“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” reported Safe Airspace, an information platform operated by OPSGROUP. It warned that the situation could signal further military activity, raising the risk of misidentification of civilian aircraft.
The warning carries particular weight given Iran’s accidental downing of a Ukraine International Airlines jet in 2020, which killed all 176 passengers and crew.
Global Airlines Adjust Routes
India’s largest carrier, IndiGo, confirmed that some of its international flights had been affected by Iran’s airspace closure, while Air India said rerouting measures might cause delays or cancellations. Russia’s Aeroflot turned back a flight bound for Tehran and returned to Moscow shortly after the restrictions were announced.
Germany also issued a fresh directive warning its airlines against entering Iranian airspace, shortly after Lufthansa adjusted its operations across the Middle East. The airline said it would avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace “until further notice” and restrict flights to Tel Aviv and Amman to daylight hours so that crews would not need to stay overnight.
Lufthansa added that some flights could be cancelled as a result. Italian carrier ITA Airways, which is part of the Lufthansa Group, similarly announced it would suspend night flights to Tel Aviv until the following week.
The United States has long prohibited American carriers from flying over Iran, and there are no direct flights between the two countries. Regional operators, including flydubai and Turkish Airlines, have also cancelled multiple flights to Iran over the past week as tensions escalate.
with inputs from Reuters
