The situation in the Middle East got more heated overnight after Iran decided to respond to Israel’s bombings of its embassy in Damascus by sending some drones and missiles to Israel, of which most were intercepted.

Several airspace closures appear to be occurring in the Middle East, and it is unclear how long they will last.

United Airlines has canceled most weekend flights to the region, including those to Tel Aviv, Dubai, and Amman.

Swiss has informed that several flights from Asia need to take a detour, which will result in a refueling break in Vienna.

Qatar Airways has canceled Sunday morning flight from Tehran to Doha, but the second flight is still showing as operating.

The airspace closure wouldn’t usually have much impact, but most Western airlines are avoiding Russian Airspace due to its war with Ukraine. This has resulted in hours longer flights than usual between Europe and Asia, which usually route through the Middle East at the moment.

My Helsinki – Osaka Routing in January avoiding the Russian airspace:

Conclusion

Let’s hope that the tensions soon ease in the Middle East and that there is a solution for the Palestine situation (I wouldn’t hold my breath).

I am scheduled to fly from Singapore to Europe early on Wednesday, and it is interesting to see the flight route. Luckily, I have plenty of transit time between the flights in Rome.

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