The war between Iran and Israel in the Middle East has led to complications for airlines, which want to avoid the airspace with the ongoing Russian airspace ban.
However, the Iranian airspace has partly reopened after a ceasefire, Data from flight tracking website flightradar24 Shows that Western Airlines are still avoiding flying in the country to a large extent. Most are choosing routes on the western border of the country, through Iraqi airspace, or on the Arabian Peninsula.
Russia stopped Western aircraft from its sky since 2022, the latest example of how an era of growing global conflict is affecting the aviation sector.
Another example came in April this year when Pakistan shut down its airspace for India’s carrier, when India launched a missile strike in Pakistan at Operation Sindor. Although western airlines have not been stopped from Pakistani airs, but currently select most to avoid it.
Singapore -based aviation analyst Brendon Sobi says that the re -airlines caused by the conflict are nothing new, but they note that things are currently “complex”.
He said, “This has happened some time, where we have now done a lot of air space in close proximity to each other, closed at the same time,” he told DW.
A risky business
John Grant, the chief analyst of Aviation Data Company OAG, agrees that there is a “very high activity” at this time. He says that Pakistan-India aircraft closure is a special problem for Air India because this means that the company’s aircraft should now be stopped during the United States visits.
What is happening in the Middle East is “absolutely a problem,” he argues, however, however, the bee in the airlines “is adjusting well,” especially by flying on the Arabian peninsula.
He said, “Some people in Saudi Arabia are clearly very busy, as they are generally accused, but this flight is not interrupted,” he told DW. “The aircraft is silent and separting on time, and the industry continues to manage in its own way through it.”
In the idea of the grant, the complications caused by armed conflicts are part of the general unexpectedness faced by the airline managers at all times.
“If we put our brain back four or five years, the airlines had to deal with an epidemic, which was very bad with anything,” Hey said, saying that he does not believe that the challenges of this year’s operations are different from those of the last decade.
“I think the CEOs of every airline probably get up every morning, or at least his flight operating director wakes up and wonders what the next event or activity is in two years, which is to be managed and to work through it.”
Safety concern
In terms of business bottom lines, Brendon Sobi says it is often a small race flights that are the most affected by the closure of the airspace. Therefore, for example, the route between the Central Asian countries and the Middle East after the Iranian aircraft shut down.
“Thesis is small routes, two, three hours, and they are five, six hours, because almost the entire flight is usually on Iran, and you have to go around,”.
He said that due to the root paths, long flights and the risk of canceled flights, frequent aircraft shutdown could be “to a large extent”. “It all adds cost.”
John Grant feels that European airlines have three years to accommodate the Russian airspace ban and have fought extensively.
But other factors, such as an increase in environmental taxes, are getting as an impact on the airlines, with “very luxurious,” with “the passenger’s operation with” the cost “is making” very important “.
Nevertheless, the notion that global conflict is affecting aviation security is clearly a concern.
Nick Caren, Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security in International Air Transport Association (IATA) – airline for business body – written Articles for IATA website at the end of June Title “securely operating in a more conflict-struggle world.”
In the context of Downing of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 last December, he wrote: “The recent struggle in the Middle East has asked travelers that what are the measures to stay safe for military activities, including military activities”. “Investigation suggests that it was shot by a Russian missile.
‘GPS Spoofing’ is a real concern
Careen described the specific issue of intervention with an airplane navigation system as “another complexity”.
“Increase in events”, “said, where, where parties in the struggle use radio signals to block GPS signals that airliner uses for navigation,” especially at the border of conflict areas in the region.
GPS Jamming Map of Flightradar24 The low and high GPS shows a map of the world divided into the field of intervention. The area with the highest level intervention is a circle in Baltic states, Ukraine and Russia, and below Türkiye and parts of the Middle East.
The grant note that the GPS jamming is a “another potential risk” for the airline industry, but says that the airlines “are highly conscious about this and more than the system to navigate in its own ways in airspace’s pieces.”
A study by OPS GroupIn the International Flight Operations Membership Organization, reported an increase of 500% in the so -called “GPS Spoofing” between 2023 and 2024.
The grant feels that the practice is undoubtedly on the increase, but take care that the airlines have strong mechanisms to protect risks.
“The whole industry works on a basic to reduce every possible risk,” Hair said, “Airlines are great in controlling what they can control. But always there are uncontrollable factors.”
Edited by: Uwe Hessler
