U.S. regulator bars U.S. airlines from flying over Iranian airspace
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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order prohibiting U.S. operators from flying in an overwater area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman due to heightened tensions.
The U.S. prohibition does not apply to airlines from other countries, but OPSGROUP, which provides guidance to operators, said it would be taken into consideration by carriers globally.
The downing this week of the unarmed Global Hawk aircraft was the latest of a series of incidents in the Gulf region. In the days before this incident, there were strikes on six oil tankers.
FAA said according to flight tracking applications, the nearest civil aircraft was operating within around 45 nautical miles of a U.S. Global Hawk drone when it was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.
The agency said it remained concerned about the escalation of tension and military activity within close proximity to high volume civil aircraft routes as well as Iran’s willingness to use long-range missiles in international airspace with little or no warning.
In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over Ukraine, killing all 298 on board, prompting carriers to take more steps to uncover threats to their planes.
