Diversions can add hours to journey times for passengers.
ADVERTISEMENTFlights over the Middle East had to abandon their journeys yesterday after Iran launched a missile attack against Israel.
The airspace above Iran, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and other countries in the region was closed, causing airlines to change their flight paths to keep passengers and crew safe.
European leaders have condemned Iran’s attack and tensions are high as the world waits to see how Israel will respond.
Which airlines diverted flights to avoid Middle East airspace?
In total, 81 flights were diverted by 16 airlines on Tuesday.
As you would expect Middle Eastern airlines diverted the most flights, with Qatar Airways and Emirates leading the pack. Istanbul airport was the worst affected airport, with 19 flights diverted.
According to FlightRadar24, at least three flights operated by German carrier Lufthansa on the way India and Dubai turned around before reaching Iranian airspace. Their journeys back to Europe extended flight times by up to eight hours.
Another flight operated by Swiss from Zurich to Dubai diverted to Antalya, Turkey, shortly before it would have crossed into Iran, FlightRadar24 shows.
The flight-tracking website also showed several Emirates flights bound for Dubai were impacted. The airline told AirlineGeeks that it was diverting some flights and cancelling others.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are making all efforts to ensure minimal disruption to customers…
