SIA, Scoot avoid Iranian airspace again, amid heightened tensions after Hamas leader’s death

SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) and budget carrier Scoot have stopped using Iranian airspace since 1.30am on Friday (Aug 2), an SIA spokesperson said.

This comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following an assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Iran.

In response to queries, the spokesperson said the affected SIA and Scoot flights tap alternative flight paths.

“We will continue to closely monitor the situation in the Middle East, and adjust our flight paths as needed,” added the spokesperson. No flights have been cancelled.

“The safety of our customers and staff is our top priority,” said the spokesperson, adding that some flights may take slightly longer than usual.

“We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused.”

Flights that may be affected include all SIA flights between Singapore and 14 locations – namely Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, New York (JFK), New York (Newark), Manchester, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome and Zurich – as well as all Scoot flights between Singapore and Athens.

Flights between Singapore and the same destinations above were also affected when SIA and Scoot stopped flying over Iran from April 13, after the country launched its first direct attack on Israeli territory that day.

The two carriers resumed flights over Iran on June 27.

Reuters reported that OpsGroup, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information, advised in a bulletin for traffic between Asia and Europe to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace.

The note came a day after sources told Reuters that top Iranian officials will meet representatives of the nation’s regional allies from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen to discuss potential retaliation against Israel.

A check of flight tracking site Flightradar24 showed SIA flight SQ392 from Singapore to Istanbul avoiding Iranian airspace on Aug 2, flying over Turkmenistan and Tajikistan instead. An SIA flight between the same two destinations flew over Iran on Aug 1.

However, other airlines on Aug 2 still flew over Iran, including Qatar Airways, Emirates and FlyDubai.

Over the past two days, Air India, Germany’s Lufthansa Group, American carriers United Airlines and Delta Air, and Italy’s ITA Airways said they suspended flights to Tel Aviv in Israel.

In 2022, SIA suspended all flights between Singapore and Moscow due to “operational reasons”, amid growing pressure on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

And in 2016, SIA stopped all flights over Ukraine after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed in the country’s eastern region. – The Straits Times/ANN