According to notices issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Iran closed its airspace to most flights during two separate periods early Thursday, allowing only aircraft with prior approval from Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO).
Flight tracking data showed only a handful of aircraft flying over the country at the time, with many rerouting around its borders. The airspace was fully reopened around 7:00am local time.
Neither the FAA nor Iran's aviation authority immediately commented on the restrictions.
The temporary closures came as US President Donald Trump warned of potential action against Iran following a deadly crackdown on antigovernment protests.
In response to rising tensions, the United States and the United Kingdom withdrew some military personnel from Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar after Iranian officials warned that US forces in the region could be targeted if an attack occurred.
Several countries have since issued travel and security advisories to their citizens in the Middle East. Trump later appeared to ease his tone, saying he had received assurances that the killings of protesters in Iran had stopped.
Aviation safety group OpsGroup warned that such airspace restrictions may indicate increased military activity, including risks linked to missile launches or heightened air defence operations, which could endanger civilian aircraft.
Iran's airspace safety has remained under scrutiny since 2020, when its air defences mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet shortly after take-off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.
A later investigation concluded the aircraft had been misidentified amid heightened tensions with the United States.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/iran-reopens-airspace-after-brief-flight-restrictions
