Foreign airlines reroute over Pakistan as Middle East airspace remains shut

Several international airlines have begun rerouting flights through Pakistan’s airspace due to continued airspace closures across Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict. As reported by the express tribune.

Major carriers including Emirates are now utilizing northern and western Pakistani airspace for routes to North America, Egypt, and other destinations. The revised flight paths traverse Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Turkey before proceeding westward.

Airlines impacted by the regional airspace lockdowns include El Al, Emirates, Lufthansa, Air India, Aeroflot, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, its low-cost arm AJet, Aegean Airlines, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, and flydubai. Many have either suspended operations to and from Israel, Iran, Iraq, and Jordan, or adjusted flight routes to avoid restricted zones—opting instead for safer corridors over Central Asia or Saudi Arabia.

A video posted by flight tracking platform Flightradar24 on June 13 showed Iranian and Iraqi airspace being cleared of commercial flights.

The closure of Iraqi airspace has particularly disrupted one of the busiest aviation corridors linking Europe and the Gulf. Airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have reported multiple delays and cancellations as a result.

Global aviation safety agencies continue to monitor the situation closely and are urging airlines to remain cautious while operating in the region.