Brussels, Belgium. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency on Tuesday reinstated and strengthened its warning for airlines operating in the Middle East, advising them to avoid airspace over Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf of Oman.
The advisory, valid until July 29, follows renewed escalation in the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Stricter advisory
EASA had withdrawn an earlier advisory a week ago after regional tensions briefly eased following last month’s interim ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
The previous warning had advised airlines to exercise caution in the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Regional security risks
Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. air base in Jordan on Tuesday, while U.S. forces launched attacks for a third consecutive night after Iran said on Saturday that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz.
The development prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to reinstate a blockade of Iranian shipping and propose a 20% fee to guard the waterway.
EASA said the presence of major U.S. military facilities in the region increased the likelihood that states covered by its Conflict Zone Information Bulletin could be directly exposed to Iranian missile and drone attacks. It also cited the risk of civil aircraft being misidentified by U.S. and other air defence systems.
Other airspace warnings
Separately, EASA last week extended its advisory asking airlines not to operate within the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Lebanon until the end of August.
