Middle Eastern airspace rumours

[UP4014]

With Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and points mid east becoming high risk.

Potential for airspace over Saudi to close as early as tonight, with some airlines including QF looking at Japan and over the Artic routes. Afghanistan has no air traffic control so not great to fly over at the best of times.

See what happens....

 

[Himeno]

I guess airspace around ANC will start to get busy again

 

[Human]

With Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and points mid east becoming high risk.

Potential for airspace over Saudi to close as early as tonight, with some airlines including QF looking at Japan and over the Artic routes. Afghanistan has no air traffic control so not great to fly over at the best of times.

See what happens....

What's your source? A quick search of several reputable news and news aggregator sites has not revealed anything about the Saudis closing airspace. And how would Qantas fly to Europe via Japan and still avoid Russian airspace?

 

[kelvedon]

What's your source? A quick search of several reputable news and news aggregator sites has not revealed anything about the Saudis closing airspace. And how would Qantas fly to Europe via Japan and still avoid Russian airspace?

JAL currently flies over Alaska and the polar route on Europe bound flights.

 

[yachty]

What's your source? A quick search of several reputable news and news aggregator sites has not revealed anything about the Saudis closing airspace.

I'm interested too. Safe Airspace doesn't have anything (recent) about Saudi.

JAL currently flies over Alaska and the polar route on Europe bound flights.

They're also fling Eastbound too, like JL44 yesterday. Down through the Stans, across Kazakhstan and northern China to Beijing and then to Japan. NH is doing the same. But this would be a fairly silly route for QF to take one would think.

 

[dajop]

In the past, when Afghanistan airspace was closed or avoided I noted most carriers still passed over the narrow stretch of the country (about 20km wide or 2 min) between Pakistan and Tajikistan then “threaded the needle” through several stans, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

 

[muppet]

An SQ A380 is currently flying right through the guts of Afghanistan…

 

[dajop]

QF1 did the same last night, as did BA 11 & BA 15 (LHR-SIN), but QF2 (around the same time as the two BA flights) has just done the thread the needle I refered to above, with the 20km crossing of Afghanistan (more or less).

 

[UP4014]

What's your source? A quick search of several reputable news and news aggregator sites has not revealed anything about the Saudis closing airspace. And how would Qantas fly to Europe via Japan and still avoid Russian airspace?

My sauce. An insider briefing which while not 'Top Secret' wasn't public.

Let's see what happens, many moving parts.

 

[justinbrett]

Afghanistan has no air traffic control so not great to fly over at the best of times.

While true, it’s not as bad as it sounds. The neighbouring ATC provide flow through Afghanistan airspace and achieve 15 minute spacing. Overflight has become quite common recently.

July 2024: Afghanistan Overflight Update

Key Points Read to the end for an OPSGROUP Team report from a recent flight over Afghanistan. Afghanistan's procedural Notams for overflights have been re-issued: the entire airspace remains uncontrolled. The US FAA has amended its airspace warning for the OAKX/Kabul FIR: US operators are

ops.group

 

[offshore171]

I guess airspace around ANC will start to get busy again View attachment 402369

Great video about the importance of Anchorage to air routes. Mainly cargo, but with all the goings on in the middle east, could ramp up again for passenger travel.

 

[Brissy1]

While true, it’s not as bad as it sounds. The neighbouring ATC provide flow through Afghanistan airspace and achieve 15 minute spacing. Overflight has become quite common recently.

July 2024: Afghanistan Overflight Update

Key Points Read to the end for an OPSGROUP Team report from a recent flight over Afghanistan. Afghanistan's procedural Notams for overflights have been re-issued: the entire airspace remains uncontrolled. The US FAA has amended its airspace warning for the OAKX/Kabul FIR: US operators are

ops.group

Wow that's a very interesting read. The
"a (forced) landing at an Afghan airport a last resort (akin to a ditching in oceanic airspace)" is a bit scary. So where are the ATCs? I see on fr24 rpt using Kabul airport.

 

[justinbrett]

Wow that's a very interesting read. The
"a (forced) landing at an Afghan airport a last resort (akin to a ditching in oceanic airspace)" is a bit scary. So where are the ATCs? I see on fr24 rpt using Kabul airport.

It’s not that scary. It’s about 500NM between major airports on neighbouring countries on each side. That’s almost half the distance between Sydney and Norfolk Island.

As for where are the ATCs, there aren’t any. US military and contractors were doing most of it until the takeover, and I guess it hasn’t been high up on their to do list. Interesting that they do have a formal approval process for overflight (even if it is using a gmail account).

 

[openseat]

Wait until oil can’t be shipped to Asia and hence Australia, then panic.

 

[Mattg]

Flew AUH-IST on Etihad yesterday and I was a bit surprised that we flew over Iran. I guess there aren't many other options though on that route.

 

[ksksks]

Flew AUH-IST on Etihad yesterday and I was a bit surprised that we flew over Iran. I guess there aren't many other options though on that route.

Quite a few of the middle eastern carriers actually still use Iran. Looking at the moment, we have Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Flydubai, PIA, Turkish etc all within the OIIX FIR.

 

[rechoboam]

Flew AUH-IST on Etihad yesterday and I was a bit surprised that we flew over Iran. I guess there aren't many other options though on that route.

You can fly from the Gulf, Turkey even Vienna to Tehran direct.

 

[Brissy1]

You can fly from the Gulf, Turkey even Vienna to Tehran direct.

Well go on then

 

[RSVKanga]

Flew AUH-IST on Etihad yesterday and I was a bit surprised that we flew over Iran. I guess there aren't many other options though on that route.

A lot of airlines, in fact most airlines fly over Iran and Iraq. It's just that Australians tend to be too overcautious.

 

[dajop]

It's just that Australians tend to be too overcautious.

A lot of western and east/south Asian carriers seem to avoid flying over Iran and Iraq at the moment.

Just glancing at flightaware the ones that seem to be avoiding right now include QF, BA, AY, LX, LH, AF, KL, SQ, CX, MH, VN, AI, TG, VS, UK, and UL.