Major disruptions to air travel were reported across the Middle East on Friday after Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets led to widespread airspace closures, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.
Civilian aircraft vacated airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan, as authorities closed routes for safety reasons. Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport was temporarily shut, and national airline El Al suspended all scheduled services. Iranian authorities also closed their airspace, leading to the grounding of flights at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.
The developments prompted international airlines to take precautionary measures. Emirates, Lufthansa, flydubai, and Air India were among the carriers that cancelled, diverted, or returned flights en route to the affected areas. Some aircraft were rerouted via Central Asia, Saudi Arabia, or other available corridors to avoid conflict zones.
According to Reuters, a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv turned back mid-air, and a Lufthansa flight between Frankfurt and Tehran was rerouted. Air India, which had recently resumed direct service to Tel Aviv, also diverted its aircraft. Meanwhile, some flights heading to Jordan were returned to origin or diverted due to airspace restrictions.
In Turkey, Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that AJet, the low-cost arm of Turkish Airlines, had suspended all flights to Iran, Iraq, and Jordan until Monday morning. Flights to Lebanon, he said, would operate only during daylight hours due to security concerns, and other regional services would be rerouted to avoid affected airspace.
The closure of multiple key air corridors follows heightened regional tensions triggered by the Israeli military operation. The situation continues to impact both passenger and cargo operations across a wide area, with no immediate timeline given for when affected airspace might reopen.
