Iran closes airspace, most international airlines delay flights
Iran has announced the closure of its airspace until tomorrow, including the closure of Imam Khomeini International Airport, according to reports from a news agency, while Israeli airlines announced that operations have resumed as usual.
This decision follows escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, prompting heightened security measures across the region.
In addition to the closure of its airspace, internal flights to major cities in Iran have been suspended until further notice, adding to the disruption caused by the ongoing situation. The closure affects not only domestic travel but also international flights, with airlines like Etihad Airways cancelling flights to Israel, Oman, and Jordan.
Emirates has also rerouted several flights in response to the developments, according to the news agency.
$1bn loss to Israel
Meanwhile, Israeli media outlets claimed significant financial losses incurred by Israel as a result of the recent Iranian attack. The attack, which utilized missiles intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome system, has led to the destruction of valuable infrastructure and assets.
Reports suggest that Iron Dome missiles, worth over $1 billion, were used to defend against the incoming threat.
Israel resumes air operation, foreign flights cancelled
On the other hand, after Iran’s attack during the night closed the airspace and caused flight cancellations, Israeli airlines announced on Sunday that operations had resumed as usual.
Israel reopened its airspace at 7:30am (0430 GMT) on Sunday, stating that passengers should confirm flight times before visiting Ben Gurion International Airport and that flight schedules from Tel Aviv were anticipated to be impacted.
El Al, a flag carrier, announced that it was “working to stabilise the flight schedule as soon as possible” after starting up again.
“El Al will continue to operate as much as possible to preserve the air bridge to and from Israel,” it said.
The airline was forced to return flights that had already taken off from Bangkok and Phuket, and it had cancelled 15 of its scheduled Sunday flights to Europe, Dubai, and Moscow. The smaller Israeli airline Arkia announced that it was in the process of rearranging its itinerary after initially having to cancel flights to Geneva, Milan, and Athens.
The majority of international carrier flights, including Sunday flights from Wizz Air to London, Air India to New Delhi, Iberia to Madrid, and Air France to Marseille, have been delayed, according to the airports authority.
The flights operated by Ethiopian Airline to Addis Ababa and El Al to London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Bucharest, Athens, Paris, and Rome were able to depart.
There were also delays for flights into Israel. Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi announced in a statement that it had cancelled flights to Israel and Jordan on Sunday. Swiss International Air Lines announced on social media platform X that flights to and from Tel Aviv have been suspended until further notice.
Read More: Jordan shot down dozens of Iranian drones heading to Israel
Swiss, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, a German airline, said that all of its aircraft were avoiding Israeli, Iranian, and Iraqi airspace, which was delaying flights from Singapore and India.
