SIA, Scoot flights avoid Iranian airspace again
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and budget carrier Scoot have stopped flying over Iranian airspace since 1.30am on Aug 2, an SIA spokesperson said.
This comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Iran.
In response to queries, the SIA spokesperson said the affected SIA and Scoot flights used alternative flight paths.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East, and adjust our flight paths as needed,” said the spokesperson, adding that no flights have been cancelled.
“The SIA Group’s top priority is the safety of our customers and staff.”
Reuters reported that OpsGroup, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, advised in a bulletin for traffic between Asia and Europe to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace. The note came a day after sources told Reuters that top Iranian officials will meet the representatives of Iran’s regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to discuss potential retaliation against Israel.
According to Reuters, Singapore Airlines’ flight to Heathrow in London early on Aug 2 went north of Iran through Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, rather than crossing through Iran as it did the day before, flight tracking site Flightradar24 showed.
However, a significant number of airlines on Aug 2 were still flying over Iran, including United Arab Emirates carriers Etihad, Emirates and FlyDubai, as well as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines.
Over the past two days, Air India, Germany’s Lufthansa Group, American carriers United Airlines and Delta Air, and Italy’s ITA Airways said they had suspended flights to Tel Aviv.
SIA and Scoot recently resumed flights over Iranian airspace on June 27.
The two airlines initially stopped flying over Iran beginning April 13, after Iran launched its first direct attack on Israeli territory that day.
Flights which were affected included SIA flights between Singapore and 14 destinations – namely Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, New York (JFK), New York (Newark), Manchester, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome and Zurich – as well as Scoot-operated flights between Singapore and Athens.
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