Notices issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said most flights were barred from Iranian airspace between 1:45 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. local time (22:15–00:30 GMT) and again from 4:44 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. (01:14–03:30 GMT) on Thursday
Iran temporarily shut its airspace to most flights amid threats from United States President Donald Trump, according to the U.S. aviation authority.
Notices issued by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said most flights were barred from Iranian airspace between 1:45 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. local time (22:15–00:30 GMT) and again from 4:44 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. (01:14–03:30 GMT) on Thursday.
The restrictions applied to all commercial flights unless they had “prior approval” from Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO), the notices said.
Data from FlightRadar, an online flight-tracking service, showed only three aircraft over Iran at 6:05 a.m. local time, while dozens of others diverted around the country’s borders. Iran reopened its airspace at about 7:00 a.m. local time.
Neither the FAA nor the CAO immediately responded to requests for comment.
The airspace closure came amid threats by President Trump to attack Iran following Tehran’s deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
On Wednesday, the United States and the United Kingdom withdrew some military personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned it would target U.S. forces in the Middle East if Trump launched an attack.
Several countries have also issued advisories to their citizens in the region amid fears of further escalation.
Later on Wednesday, Trump appeared to soften his tone toward Tehran, saying he had received assurances from “important sources” that the killing of protesters in Iran had stopped.
Safe Airspace, a website run by aviation safety group OpsGroup, said the closures could indicate “further security or military activity” and warned of the risk of missile launches or heightened air defences, which could increase the danger of misidentifying civilian aircraft.
In 2020, Iran’s air defences shot down a Ukraine International Airlines flight shortly after take-off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.
A 2021 report by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation concluded that the missile battery operator had mistaken the aircraft for a “hostile object” and that authorities had failed to properly assess the risks to commercial aviation amid heightened tensions with the United States.
Join us on our WhatsApp Platform @KOIKIMEDIA NEWS YOUR PAGE
koikimedia Bringing the World 🌎 Closer to Your Doorstep