Gulf airlines still fly in Iranian airspace
Gulf airlines still fly in Iranian airspace.
KUWAIT (REUTERS) – The recent missile attack on United States bases in Iraq and the downing of an Ukrainian flight in Iran have not deterred Gulf airlines from flying to and using the airspace of both countries.
Qatar Airways, Emirates and several other Gulf airlines still fly in Iraqi and Iranian airspace and to cities in both countries, even as other international carriers have rerouted planes since the United States and Iran traded military strikes.
Executives and analysts said carriers in the Gulf, a major transit stop between European and Asian destinations, have few alternative routes to choose from in an area where much of the airspace is kept clear of civilian aircraft for military use.
In the latest flare up, a US drone strike killed a top general in Iraq on Jan 3 and Iran fired missiles at US targets in Iraq on Jan 8. In the tense aftermath, Iran’s air defences accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner.
Gulf carriers have grown into major airlines even as regional tensions in recent decades erupted into conflict. Rerouting flights hurts profits, they say, although they also insist that they take every precaution to keep passengers safe.
“Iranian airspace is important for all carriers in this region,” said Mr Adil al-Ghaith, Emirates’ senior vice-president, commercial operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran.
Dubai-based Emirates and sister carrier flydubai together serve 10 cities in Iran and Iraq, and have continued to use the airspace of both countries for other flights.
Kuwait Airways and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways have continued using Iranian and Iraqi airspace.
“We will continue to fly to Iran because Iran is an important country to us and it is our neighbour and we want to serve the people of Iran,” Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker said on the sidelines of a Kuwait aviation conference.
Qatar has forged closer economic ties with Iran since 2017 when neighbouring Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab states cut relations with Doha in a diplomatic row.
The Qatari state carrier turned to Iranian airspace to keep its network that flies through its Doha hub operating.
At the same time, many other international carriers have rerouted flights to avoid Iraq and Iran since the military strikes this month, including Lufthansa, Air France, Singapore Airlines and Qantas.
