Airlines Reroute Flights After Security Warnings Over Saudi Airspace
The U.S. newspaper The Wall Street Journal has reported that, as military operations in Yemen continue and attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia persist, many international airlines have moved away from the kingdom’s airspace.
According to the international aviation security group OPSGROUP, Saudi airspace at all altitudes has been deemed unsafe, forcing airlines to reconsider their flight routes.
The changes have led airlines that previously considered flying over Saudi Arabia a standard route to divert through Central Asia and via routes around the Syrian city of Damascus.
Among them, British Airways, which had previously used Saudi airspace even amid repeated threats against U.S. bases in the region, has recently shifted a large share of its flights between Mumbai and London to a Central Asian route to avoid flying over Saudi Arabia.
An Indian airline has also reduced the use of central Saudi airspace on its flights to Europe and has opted for alternative routes near the kingdom’s northern borders and around Damascus.
These developments reflect growing concern over the insecurity of Saudi airspace because of the conflict in Yemen, with direct consequences for airlines and passenger safety.
