Challenges Facing Airlines Amidst Escalating Missile Threats and Airspace Restrictions
Reuters Last Updated: Jun 04, 2025, 09:38:00 AM IST
Airlines Struggle with Global Conflict Impacts on Operations
The escalation of global conflicts is impacting flight routes and operational costs for airline companies. In an effort to enhance safety and avoid conflict zones, airlines are being forced to reroute flights. Recent situations such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have further complicated air travel logistics. Additional challenges include GPS jamming and unexpected airspace closures, which necessitate that airlines prioritize safety amid rising security concerns.
Agencies “Flight planning in this kind of environment is extremely difficult… The airline industry thrives on predictability, and the absence of this will always drive greater cost,” explained Guy Murray, head of aviation security at TUI Airline.
With more airspace closures, particularly around Russia, Ukraine, parts of the Middle East, and between India and Pakistan, airlines find themselves with limited options for flight routes.
“Compared to five years ago, more than half of the countries typically overflown during a Europe-Asia route now need reassessment before each flight,” stated Mark Zee, founder of OPSGROUP, a member supported organization that provides information about flight risks.
Live Events and Airspace Safety Challenges
The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has escalated since October 2023, resulting in commercial flights sharing airspace with unexpected drone and missile attacks along key routes—some nearly visible to pilots and passengers. Additionally, Russian airports, including those in Moscow, frequently close due to drone activities, while GPS interference is surging in politically sensitive areas around the globe. Following recent tensions between India and Pakistan, both countries have restricted each other’s air traffic.
“Airspace should not be used as a retaliatory tool, but it is,” stated Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for operations, safety, and security, during a recent meeting in New Delhi.
Isidre Porqueras, COO of IndiGo, noted that these diversions undermine efforts to reduce emissions and improve operational efficiency in the airline industry.
WORST-CASE SCENARIO
Financial impact aside, civil aviation faces grave risks, including the potential for aircraft to be hit, whether by accident or intentional targeting.
In December, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight was tragically downed in Kazakhstan, resulting in the death of 38 individuals due to missile action by Russian air defenses, as reported by Azerbaijani officials and Reuters insights.
Similarly, in October, a cargo aircraft was shot down in Sudan, claiming five lives.
Since 2001, six commercial planes have faced downing incidents with three additional near-misses, according to Osprey Flight Solutions, a consultancy specializing in aviation risk.
IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh emphasized that effective communication among governments is crucial to securing civil aviation as conflict zones become more widespread.
Although safety statistics reflect a steady decline in aviation accidents over the past twenty years, these figures often exclude security-related incidents like weapon strikes.
IATA identified incidents related to conflict zones as a key concern needing immediate global coordination.
TOUGH CHOICES
Airlines make travel decisions based on a complex blend of government advisories, security advice, and shared information from both carriers and states, resulting in varying policies across the industry.
The closure of Russian airspace to most Western carriers since the Ukraine war’s outbreak in 2022 has placed them at a competitive cost disadvantage against airlines from China, India, and the Middle East, which continue to utilize shorter, more fuel-efficient northern routes.
The evolving risks have seen Singapore Airlines’ flight SQ326 from Singapore to Amsterdam utilize three different route paths over just a year, according to Flightradar24 tracking data.
Following missile exchanges between Iran and Israel in April 2024, the flight was rerouted to traverse Afghanistan instead of Iran.
Recently, the flight’s path shifted again to bypass Pakistan’s airspace amid rising tensions between the two nations, redirecting through the Persian Gulf and Iraq. Singapore Airlines has yet to comment on this change.
Concerns about changing risk factors also weigh on pilots and flight attendants regarding their safety.
“IATA suggests that airlines determine the safety of flying over conflict zones rather than regulators, yet commercial pressures can often distort these judgements,” remarked Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, which represents pilots.
Flight crews generally reserve the right to decline flights due to safety concerns, whether due to weather or conflict. “Most airlines, indeed a large majority, prefer not to have crew members on flights if they feel uncomfortable,” Careen added.
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Based on an article from economic times: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/expanding-missile-threats-and-airspace-closures-are-straining-airlines/articleshow/121612166.cms
