Iranian Airports Cancel Flights Over Attack On Israel

Several Iranian airports, including Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, have cancelled all flights until Monday.

Naija News reports that the development comes as the ongoing war between Israel and Iran intensifies, raising concerns about the safety of air travel in the region.

The executive of Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport confirmed that the suspension was ordered by Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation and will last until 6 am (0230 GMT) Monday.

Additionally, Iran’s Airports and Air Navigation Company announced that domestic flights from Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, as well as flights from airports in Shiraz, Isfahan, Bushehr, Kerman, Ilam, and Sanandaj, are cancelled due to the closure of the country’s western airspace to flights.

This precautionary measure has caused major airlines across the Middle East to either cancel or reroute some of their flights. Despite these disruptions, Israel has reopened its airspace as of 7:30 am local time on Sunday, and Beirut airport has also resumed operations this morning.

The flight cancellations and airspace closures follow Iran’s unprecedented large-scale drone and missile attack on Israel Saturday night.

This attack was reportedly in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria.

The situation has propelled the long-standing covert conflict between Iran and Israel into a visible confrontation, escalating the threat of a broader regional conflict.

Tehran has, however, stated it will strike with greater force if there are retaliations from Israel or the United States.