EASA has asked air carriers not to use the skies over the Middle East

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has asked air carriers not to operate flights in the airspace in the Middle East. This is stated on February 28 in the report on conflict zones (CZIB) for the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.

In it, the agency's specialists pointed out the high risk to civil aviation in the airspace affected by military operations.

"EASA will continue to closely monitor the situation in order to assess whether there is an increase or decrease in risk for EU aircraft operators <...>. Airlines should completely refrain from operating flights in the specified airspace," the text says.

The Middle East beyond the border: Israel strikes Iran

Israel launches a series of attacks on military and nuclear facilities, Tehran is preparing a response

Explosions occurred in Abu Dhabi and Dubai earlier in the day. Izvestia published footage from the airport in Dubai after the UAE intercepted several missiles launched from Iran. They show that the tourist area is almost empty.

After that, Al Mayadeen TV channel reported that Erbil International Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan was hit by rocket fire. The US Consulate General in Erbil was also attacked by a missile.

It was also reported that Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace over its territory due to the escalation of the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. The solution is aimed at ensuring the safety of passengers and airlines.

On the same day, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation reported that Russian airlines had worked out alternative flight routes to the Persian Gulf countries, bypassing the closed airspace of Iran and Israel, and travel time would increase. Aeroflot has already adjusted flight routes to/from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha (charter) and Male - they will bypass Iran on safe routes.

Israel launched a preemptive strike on targets in Iran on the morning of February 28. The operation was called "Lion's Roar". Iran has completely closed its airspace to all types of vessels. Explosions and communication outages were recorded in Tehran.

Later, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recorded rocket launches from Iran, directed towards the country. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, part of the Iranian armed forces) has launched a large-scale retaliatory operation against Israel. So, in Bahrain, the service center of the Fifth Fleet of the United States was subjected to rocket fire. In addition, Iran attacked four US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Explosions occurred in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Abu Dhabi and Dubai

At the same time, the IDF launched a massive airstrike on military installations in western Iran. The city of Shiraz was attacked. In addition, 70,000 Israeli reservists were called up for military service. Against this background, the United States began evacuating some personnel from the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar.

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