Iran-Israel Airspace Closure Force and the Middle East

• Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.
• Iran, Israel and other neighboring countries closed their airspaces, forcing flight diversions.
• Some Lufthansa flights returned to Frankfurt a few hours after their journey to India and Dubai.

Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel on Tuesday as tensions in the Middle East escalate.

In response, airspace over Iran, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and other countries in the region was closed on Tuesday by various authorities, and airlines reacted quickly to keep their flights out of harm’s way.

In some cases, planes were diverted en route to their destination to avoid restricted airspace.

Conformable FlightRadar24at least three flights operated by German carrier Lufthansa bound for India and Dubai turned back before reaching Iranian airspace. Return journeys to Europe have extended their flight time by up to eight hours.

Another Swiss-operated flight from Zurich to Dubai was diverted to Antalya, Turkey, shortly before it crossed into Iran, FlightRadar24 reports.

The flight tracking website also showed that several Emirates flights to Dubai were affected. The airline told AirlineGeeks it is diverting some flights and canceling others.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and making every effort to ensure minimal disruption to customers while assisting those affected,” a spokesperson said.

Several other carriers were also forced to divert as route options remained limited between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

FlightRadar24 data shows that on Tuesday, a British Airways flight from London to Dubai, a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight from Paris to Amman and an Israeli airline El Al flight from Rhodes, Greece to Tel Aviv were all diverted to Larnaca, Cyprus.

British Airways told Business Insider: “Safety and security are always our highest priorities, and we continually evaluate and adjust our operations accordingly.”

During the day, some restrictions were lifted, FlightRadar24 said. Jordan and Iraq reopened to flights on Tuesday evening local time, although few were passing through the region.

Ongoing airspace closures could cause airlines to add flight hours to bypass Iran and Israel to reach places in Europe, the Middle East, India and beyond – similar to what happened after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Airlines such as Japan Airlines, British Airways and Finnair have added up to four hours of flight time to avoid Kremlin airspace on flights between Asia and Europe amid Russian airspace closures and sanctions.