Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan reopen airspace post Iran-Israel attack

Iraq resumed its air operations on Sunday shortly after a temporary halt due to Iran’s significant drone and missile assault on Israel. This reopening was mirrored by neighboring Jordan and Lebanon, as well as Israel, which managed to intercept most of the Iranian launches overnight, effectively neutralizing the immediate threat.

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the lifting of the airspace closure, announcing that flights to and from the country’s airports were resuming without any further security risks to civilian aircraft. Reports from Kurdish media indicated that Iranian drones had been detected flying over Iraq’s Kurdish region during the night.

In Jordan, the head of the civil aviation commission, Haitham Misto, declared on the state-run Al Mamlaka channel that Jordanian airspace was open again and conditions had normalized. Samer Majali, CEO of Royal Jordanian, noted that while the airline’s flights were operational again, some delays were still anticipated.

Lebanon’s caretaker Transport Minister Ali Hamieh also confirmed that operations had resumed from 7 am local time, with continuous monitoring of the situation. He stated that Beirut’s international airport was back to regular functioning.

Israel reopened its airspace early in the morning after having it closed since the previous night in response to the attacks. The Israeli airports authority noted the reopening at 7:30 am local time.

However, the regional tension prompted Austrian Airlines to take precautionary measures by suspending all flights to Tel Aviv, Arbil in Iraq, and Amman in Jordan until at least Monday, prioritizing the safety of their staff and travelers. The airline also extended a flight suspension to Tehran and planned to reroute long-haul flights to avoid Iranian airspace.

This series of airspace closures and subsequent reopenings followed a pattern of increased caution among international airlines, with several altering routes or halting flights in the region due to the escalated military activities.