EU Recommends Avoiding Flights Over Iran

In light of Iran's attack on Israel on 1 October 2024 and the announced Israeli retaliation, Iranian airspace poses high risks that air operators should consider in their risk assessments. EASA recommends not operating in Iranian airspace at all flight levels. This is stated in the message of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Wednesday, 2 October.

The EU agency, together with the European Commission, drew attention to the Iranian attack on Israel on 1 October and Israel's statement of ‘intent to retaliate’.

‘The European Commission and EASA have decided to issue a Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) recommending that flights in Iranian airspace at all flight levels should not be conducted,’ the statement said.

The Agency clarified that the recommendation is valid until 31 October 2024, but may be revised if the situation changes.

‘EASA will continue to closely monitor the situation to assess whether the risks to EU aircraft operators increase or decrease as a result of the changing threat,’ the statement said.

For the same reasons, last week the EU recommended that airlines avoid flying over Israel and Lebanon.

As a reminder, Iran launched a massive missile strike on Israel on 1 October - the Israeli military reported that about 180 missiles were fired, most of which were intercepted.