City
Epaper

S'pore, Malaysia, Taiwan flag carriers divert flights over Iran

By IANS | Updated: January 8, 2020 13:15 IST

The flag carriers of Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan said on Wednesday that they would divert flights over Irans airspace due to the escalating Tehran-Washington tensions in the region.

Open in App

The carriers' announcement came on the same day Tehran attacked the Ain-al-Asad military base in Iraq housing US troops and a Washington-operated airbase in Erbil in retaliation for the January 3 drone attack that killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

"In view of the latest developments in the region, all (Singapore Airlines) flights in and out of Europe will not be flying over the Iranian airspace. We will continue to monitor the situation closely," the Singaporean carrier said in a Wednesday statement to Efe news.

It was confirmed that the airline's low-cost subsidiary Scoot would also avoid Iran.

Malaysia Airlines released a statement announcing its intentions to avoid Iran's airspace.

"Malaysia Airlines does not fly over the airspace of Iraq on its flights to/from London, Jeddah and Medina. Due to recent events involving Iran, Malaysia Airlines will be avoiding the conflict airspace of Iran," the airline said. "Safety is of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines."

The airline is among the more cautious carriers following high-profile incidents that marred its operations last decade, including a March 2014 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur which was struck by a missile while cruising over eastern Ukraine during the ongoing War in Donbass.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's national carrier, China Airlines, said it would avoid both Iraqi and Iranian airspace.

"In light of the events in the region, all China Airlines flights bound to Europe will not overfly neither the Iranian nor Iraqi airspace. We will continue to attentively monitor the situation and will adjust the flights in consequence," a spokesperson for the carrier said in a statement.

Developments came shortly after the US Federal Aviation Authority banned US airlines from flying over Iraq, Iran, the Gulf of Oman and the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia, following days of escalating tensions in the Middle East.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: iranIraqMalaysia AirlinesusChina Airlines
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalUS Achieved All Military Objectives in Operation Epic Fury Against Iran, Says White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

InternationalMissile Alerts in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel Despite US–Iran Ceasefire Announcement

InternationalFlorida Shooting: US Rapper Offset Injured at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood; Two Detained

InternationalMajid Khademi Death: IRGC Intel Chief Killed in US-Israel Attack, Confirms Iran

InternationalVideo: Iranian Missiles Breach Israel’s Iron Dome

International Realted Stories

InternationalAmb Vinay Kwatra highlights expanding India-US ties during Vikram Misri's visit to Washington

InternationalDiscussed strong future of India-US ties: Gor after meeting Trump

InternationalUS Congressman Gregory Meeks welcomes ceasefire, seeks clarity from Trump

InternationalLegally flawed, outside US jurisdiction: Adani tells judge to dismiss SEC fraud suit

International"Big day for world peace": Trump says US will "hang around" to make sure everything goes well after ceasefire announcement