Large parts of Middle East airspace remain closed or heavily restricted following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliation, significantly disrupting global aviation routes and forcing airlines into limited alternative corridors.
According to an operational briefing by OPSGROUP, the central Middle East air corridor is effectively unusable, with multiple flight information regions (FIRs) shut, including Tehran, Baghdad, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait and Damascus. Tel Aviv airspace is also largely closed, with only limited prior permission operations allowed.
The closures have eliminated standard overflight routes across the Gulf, leaving airlines without viable direct transit options between Europe and Asia through the region.
Partial openings have emerged in some areas. The United Arab Emirates’ FIR has reopened in a limited capacity, but only via tightly controlled corridors along its southern and eastern boundaries, routing aircraft via Saudi Arabia and Oman. However, traffic through these routes remains restricted, and large sections of airspace are still subject to military control measures and navigation interference such as GPS jamming and spoofing.
The broader operational environment remains volatile. Authorities have warned that military activity could extend across the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, raising the risk profile for civil aviation across adjacent airspace.
Industry data indicates that the loss of the central corridor has compressed traffic into alternative pathways, primarily southern routes via Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Oman, or northern routes through the Caucasus. These corridors are experiencing increased congestion as displaced flights reroute.
The disruption is having system-wide implications for airlines. With multiple FIR closures and restrictions, operators are facing longer flight times, higher fuel consumption and reduced flexibility in planning alternate routes.
Aviation safety regulators have also flagged elevated risks in the region, citing the presence of advanced air defence systems and the potential for misidentification or unintended escalation affecting civilian aircraft.
As the situation continues to evolve, operators are being advised to monitor NOTAM updates closely, reassess routes shortly before departure and build additional contingency measures into flight planning, reflecting the heightened uncertainty across one of the world’s most critical aviation corridors.
