Egypt: Airlines told to avoid Iran airspace for three hours

LONDON: Egypt instructed all of its airlines to avoid Iranian airspace for three hours in the early morning on Thursday amid tension between Israel and Iran.

The NOTAM, a safety notice provided to pilots on Wednesday, said the instruction would be in effect from 0100 to 0400 GMT. It provided no further details as to why the notice was issued.

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“All Egyptian carriers shall avoid overflying Tehran (Flight Information Region). No flight plan will be accepted overflying such territory,” the notice said, referring to the three-hour period specified.

Egypt’s civil aviation ministry later confirmed on Wednesday the notice was intended to reduce flight-safety risks in light of a notification it received from Iranian authorities.

“Military exercises will be conducted over Iranian airspace on August 7 from 11:30 to 14:30 and from 4:30 to 7:30 on August 8 Tehran time,” the statement said.

The ministry’s press statement followed an unnamed source quoted by the state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV as saying that Iranian authorities had said to avoid flying in Iranian airspace because of “military exercises.”

Many airlines are revising their schedules to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace while also calling off flights to Israel and Lebanon as many fear a possible broader conflict after the killing of senior members of militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

“Such a NOTAM from Egypt is very unusual. It is possible that this is an indicator of an Iranian response to Israel, and in turn a potentially large set of airspace disruptions – at the same time, there may be another reason,” OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight-risk information, said.

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On Sunday, Jordanian authorities asked all airlines landing at its airports to carry 45 minutes’ worth of extra fuel.

Countries in the region, including Jordan, closed their airspace earlier this year amidst aerial attacks on Israel.