Iran closes airspace to most traffic in brief security lockdown

Iran temporarily closed its airspace on Wednesday to all flights except international services entering or leaving the country with official permission, according to a notice posted on the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website.

The restriction took effect at 5:15 p.m. ET and was scheduled to remain in place until 7:30 p.m. ET (0030 GMT), though the notice said it could be extended.

The move came as the United States began withdrawing some personnel from military bases in the Middle East, a US official said, after a senior Iranian official warned that Tehran had alerted neighboring countries it would target American bases if Washington launched strikes.

Missile and drone barrages across an expanding number of conflict zones have heightened risks to civilian aviation. India’s largest airline, IndiGo, said several international flights would be affected by Iran’s sudden airspace closure. A Russia-based Aeroflot flight bound for Tehran turned back to Moscow after the restriction was imposed, according to Flightradar24 tracking data.

Earlier Wednesday, Germany issued new guidance advising its airlines to avoid Iranian airspace, shortly after Lufthansa adjusted its Middle East operations amid rising regional tensions.

The United States already bans US commercial aircraft from overflying Iran, and there are no direct commercial flights between the two countries. Other carriers, including flydubai and Turkish Airlines, have canceled multiple flights to Iran in recent days.

“Several airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most carriers are avoiding Iranian airspace,” Safe Airspace, a risk-monitoring website operated by OPSGROUP, said in an alert.

“The situation may signal further security or military activity, including the risk of missile launches or heightened air defense, increasing the risk of misidentification of civil traffic.”

Lufthansa said it will avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice and will operate only daytime flights to Tel Aviv and Amman from Wednesday through Monday to prevent overnight crew stays. The airline warned that some flights could be canceled as a result.

Italian carrier ITA Airways, part-owned by Lufthansa Group, said it will also suspend night flights to Tel Aviv until Tuesday next week.