(missiles cracking) (suspenseful music) - [Narrator] As more than 180 Iranian missiles streamed down on Israel on October the first, surrounding countries were forced to shut their airspace. And airlines were left scrambling to redirect at least 80 flights. Now, the prospect of a full-fledged war between Israel and Iran means navigation through this. One of the most densely-traversed regions of the world has suddenly become even more complicated. - What we've seen over the last few years is that conflicts around the region have started to cut off some of that crucial airspace. (siren blaring) - [Narrator] So here's how commercial airlines are adjusting to the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East. (missiles exploding) (rhythmic music) Positioned at the strategic crossroads of the major economies, Asia, Africa, and Europe, 9% of international traffic passes through the Middle East region.

That's more than the 8% of international traffic that crosses North America. Much of it goes via the super-hub airports in the UAE and Qatar. That's really attributed to this massive growth in airlines like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, which has started to use the Middle East as really a stopover point for connecting, you know, the world's traffic. [Narrator] But this thoroughfare linking the west and the east is a narrow one. Even before the Iranian missile attacks of October the first, airlines were detouring around Libya, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. And Russia's war on Ukraine has turned more than 200,000 square miles of Europe into a no-fly zone, with Moscow also closing its airspace to airlines from dozens of countries in response to Western sanctions. Industry experts divide the rest of the available airspace into four main corridors, across Iraq, Iran, Egypt in the South, and Azerbaijan in the north.

But in April 2024, only these two routes were left for airlines to use when Iran's first missile and drone attack on Israel resulted in the temporary closure of airspace over Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and partially over Iran, impacting flights across the region. Following Iran's latest attack on Israel, Europe's aviation regulator has now issued a recommendation for airlines to halt all operations in Israeli, Lebanese, and Iranian airspace. - Aviation just in general is often one of the first places you can see when a conflict starts to unravel or starts to take place, because countries have a duty to protect civilians flying over or through their airspace. (rallyists chanting in foreign language) - [Narrator] The killing of senior members from the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah in late July put commercial aviation on high alert in the Middle East, prompting airlines to adjust operations in the region once more. - We've seen airlines shift to morning flights

as opposed to evening flights. That's really designed to prevent their crew and their aircraft from being stuck overnight in an area that, you know, may or may not fall into a significant conflict. (rhythmic music) - [Narrator] By mid-August, dozens of airlines temporarily rerouted or canceled some of their flights in the region. - There are small adjustments to airspace that have these huge ramifications on airlines. For passengers, longer flights, less access to destinations, and more expensive tickets. If it costs more for the airline to operate, it'll cost more for the passenger to fly. (rhythmic music) - [Narrator] For example, a 17-hour long flight from Perth, Australia to London had to be modified to include a pit stop in Singapore, adding about three hours to the journey. And to avoid the turbulent Middle East, the flight was rerouted over Afghanistan. Afghan airspace has remained mostly unused for transiting

since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. In late August 2023, dozens of aircraft, mainly Afghan ones, passed through the country on a daily basis. A year later, nearly 200 did, according to data by flight tracking organization Flightradar24. But in July, the European aviation safety regulator warned that extremist groups remain active and might sporadically target aviation facilities. The regulator also raised concern over the absence or limited air traffic service capacities across the entire country. Qantas, operating the flight from Perth to London, ran the modified route with a stopover in Singapore for around a week in April and two weeks in August. Commenting on the use of Afghan airspace, Qantas said that they regularly review and determine the flight paths taken by their aircraft based on multiple factors, including security and weather. (jet engine roaring) Aviation experts say many airlines are already operating

at the margin of profitability on long-haul flights. And so the request from Europe's aviation regulator for airlines to halt all operations in Israeli, Lebanese, and Iranian airspace is the latest challenge to the viability of some of those long-distance flights. - We're seeing, coming out of the pandemic, massive investments being made in Turkey, in India, in Saudi Arabia, you know, these airlines buying hundreds of new aircraft, with the goal of really connecting, you know, Saudi Arabia, India kind of to the world. So these really massive operations are going to rely more and more increasingly on the Middle East as this really critical connection point. This is really the sliver of airspace that punches above its weight when it comes to its significance for commercial aviation. This risk of an escalating crisis or a broader Middle East regional conflict, the fallout for airlines, you know, would be incredibly significant. (rallyists chanting in foreign language)

How Israel-Iran Tensions Are Choking Commercial Flight Paths | WSJ

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