By Joanna Plucinska
LONDON (Reuters) – Egypt told all its airlines to avoid Iranian airspace for three hours on Thursday morning, amid tension between Israel and Iran.
NOTAM, a safety advisory provided to pilots on Wednesday, said the instruction would come into effect from 01:00 to 04:00 GMT. It did not provide further details about why the warning was issued.
“All Egyptian airlines will avoid flying over Tehran (Flight Information Region). No flight plans will be accepted flying over such territory,” the notice said, referring to the specified three-hour period.
Egypt’s Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed later on Wednesday that the warning was aimed at reducing flight safety risks, in light of a notification it received from Iranian authorities.
“Military exercises will be carried out in Iranian airspace on August 7 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and from 4:30 am to 7:30 am on August 8 Tehran time,” the statement said.
The ministry’s press statement followed an unnamed source, cited by state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV, as saying that Iranian authorities had told them to avoid flying in Iranian airspace because of “military exercises.”
Many airlines are reviewing their schedules to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace, while also canceling flights to Israel and Lebanon, as many fear a possible wider conflict following the assassination of senior members of the 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 disturbances – at the same time, there may be another reason,” he said OPSGROUP. a membership-based organization that shares information about flying risks, said.
On Sunday, Jordanian authorities asked all airlines landing at their airports to carry 45 minutes of extra fuel.
Countries in the region, including Jordan, closed their airspace earlier this year amid airstrikes against Israel.
(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska in LondonAdditional reporting by Jaidaa Taha, Yomna Ehab and Mohamed Ezz in CairoEditing by Philippa Fletcher, Jonathan Oatis, Matthew Lewis and Rod Nickel)
