Singapore Air, Taiwan carriers detour Iran on conflict risk

Asian carriers Singapore Airlines Ltd., Eva Air Corp. and China Airlines Ltd. have temporarily stopped flying over Iranian airspace as tensions escalate in the Middle East. 

Flights operated by the three airlines were seen to be skirting to the north of Iran over central Asian countries such as Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, FlightRadar24 plane tracking shows. 

All Singapore Airlines and flights at low-cost carrier Scoot have stopped flying over Iranian air space and are using alternative flight paths, the carrier said in a statement, adding that it hasn’t canceled any flights.

“We will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East and adjust our flight paths as needed,” Singapore Air said.

Thai Airways International Pcl said it has also stopped flying over Iranian airspace, while Air India suspended its scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Aug. 8, citing the ongoing situation in parts of the Middle East region.

The move comes just days after Iran blamed Israel for the assassination of a top Hamas official in Tehran and vowed retaliation, inflaming tensions in the region.

Singapore Air had only recently resumed flying over Iran after avoiding the area for two months, which had led to lengthy and costly detours. 

Iran’s airspace is frequently utilized by airlines traveling between Europe to India and Southeast Asia. 

OPSGROUP, a membership-based organization that shares flight risk information, warned of disruption to civil aviation and an imminent risk of a “sustained” attack from Iran and its allies on Israel similar to an attack in April, but likely on a larger scale. 

“This risk applies across the Middle East, but especially to operations in/over Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt,” the group said in a note sent Thursday. “For Middle East transits, planning a routing that doesn’t cross Iran or Iraq is advisable,” it added.

Middle East-based carriers such as Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways QCSC still appear to be overflying Iran, FlightRadar24 shows.