Flight paths over the Middle East

With ongoing conflicts in the area, the flight paths crossing the Middle East change quite a lot from time to time. Learn more about the affected routes and current restrictions.

As a consequence of the current conflicts in the Middle East, several airlines have changed their flight paths avoiding parts of the area – mainly Israel, Palestine and Iran. Different operators have chosen to make different changes, and some have also decided to stay on track to their previous flight paths.

The changes also fluctuate over time. For example, when Israel completed an aerial attack on Iran in April many major airlines chose to stop using Iranian airspace. Similar events can also close a country's airspaces entirely to passenger flights. Though, as of the beginning of June, most operators have returned to flying over Iran.

With that being said, some major airlines still avoid Iranian airspace, such as German flag carrier Lufthansa and their subsidiaries. As you can tell from the map below, the airline currently chooses to take a more southern path than normal, crossing Saudi Arabia to avoid the sensitive regions.

lufthansa avoid middle east iran — German major airline Lufthansa currently avoid flying over Iran.

Further examples of airlines avoiding Iran and other parts of the Middle East are Virgin Atlantic and Qatar Airways. As presented in the maps below, the airlines have chosen to reroute to not cross the affected areas.

virgin atlantic avoid middle east iran — Virgin Atlantic changes their routes to avoid Iran, which can be seen for example on the route between London and Bombay.

qatar airways avoid middle east — Another airline rerouting is Qatar Airways, with their long distance flights from Doha to the US taking another path.

Suspended flights to Israel

Another consequence of the ongoing situation is airlines suspending flights to Israel and their main airport in Tel Aviv. As of now, Virgin Atlantic is the only major airline that has suspended all flights to Israel, but this can change on a daily basis.

Note that the situation can change at any time due to the conflict. Check your airline of choice to see their current restrictions and recommendations. The article was updated in the beginning of June 2024.