Though several airlines had been exercising caution in flying over Iran due to increased political tension, the downing of the unarmed Global Hawk drone has raised questions on the safety of commercial airlines. Observing the threat, FAA, the US aviation body has issued an emergency order for US carriers to prohibit the Iran-controlled Airspace. As a precautionary measure, a flurry of airlines rerouted their flights and adjusted air-routes to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.
US Global Hawk shot down by Iran
Iran’s surface-to-air missile shot down a high-altitude U.S. drone, raising concerns about a threat to the safety of commercial airlines. The downing of the unarmed Global Hawk drone, which could fly up to 60,000 ft was the latest in a series of incidents in the Gulf region. While the US claimed that RQ-4 Global Hawk was flying in international airspace when it was struck down, the Iranian officials affirmed that the aircraft had flown into Iran-controlled Airspace and so it was fired down in Hormozgan region of Iran’s southern coast. According to flight tracking applications, there were numerous civil aviation aircrafts operating in the area when US Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. The nearest civil aircraft operated within around 45 nautical miles of the US Global Hawk drone
#Iranian military released video that shows the moment an indigenous Khordad 3 air defense system of #IRGC Aerospace Forces fires a surface-to-air missile at an intruding US spy drone pic.twitter.com/kjPATBAM9n
— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) June 21, 2019
In the above video, a missile is seen being fired from the Khordad 3 air defense system of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and within a few seconds, an explosion is seen in the sky.
FAA Emergency Order Prohibiting Iran-controlled Airspace
Due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions, the FAA issued an emergency order prohibiting US air carriers from flying in an over-water area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. Flight operations in the area were prohibited until further notice. While some international airlines are taking precautions and rerouting flights, the United Airlines was the first to suspend flights between Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Mumbai, India that typically flew through the Iran-controlled Airspace.
Rerouting Flights to Avoid Iran-controlled Airspace
- United Airlines
- Lufthansa
- British Airways
- KLM
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Singapore Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- American Airlines
Clear Risk
Prior to MH17 being shot down by a missile over Ukraine in 2014, the risk impact to airlines operating at high altitude over conflict zones was considered minimal. But with the military activity in close proximity to high-volume civil aircraft routes, carriers are prompted to take precautionary steps to uncover threats. And while Iran shows willingness to use long-range missiles in international airspace with little or no warning, FAA has called it clear risk to fly over Iran-controlled Airspace.
