Middle East Airspace – Current Operational Picture

Key Points – 12 March 1200z Update

• Large parts of Middle East airspace remain closed, including Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait.
  
• Israel, UAE and Qatar airspace remain heavily restricted. Limited arrivals and departures are possible with approval.
• Missile and drone strikes are continuing across the region, creating a high-risk environment for aviation.
• For flights between Europe and Asia, the normal Gulf corridor is effectively unavailable. Overflying traffic is rerouting either north via the Caucasus-Afghanistan, or south via Egypt-Saudi-Oman.

Current Operating Picture

The central Middle East corridor remains largely shut.

The airspace of Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Kuwait is closed by Notam. Iran has also warned that conflict activity may extend over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Several other FIRs remain technically open but are operating under strict restrictions:

• Israel: The LLLL/Tel Aviv FIR is closed to most traffic, with only limited PPR arrivals and departures permitted.
• UAE: The OMAE/Emirates FIR is partially open but with tightly controlled entry and exit points for arrivals and departures, and overflights restricted to a single western routing via LUDID.
• Qatar: The OTDF/Doha FIR is periodically closing to overflights, with arrivals and departures only permitted via LAEEB and DATRI subject to prior approval.
• Oman: The OOMM/Muscat FIR remains open. A Notam defines routing procedures for traffic operating between UAE airports and the Muscat FIR as part of the current restricted corridor system.

So if you’re operating in the region, you’ll need to check the latest Notams for the exact routing requirements and any changes to these procedures.

Routing options

For Europe-Asia traffic or Gulf positioning, there are basically two routing options – north via the Caucasus then Afghanistan, or south via Egypt then Saudi then Oman.

Egypt then Saudi then Oman

This is the main southern bypass for Europe traffic. HECC/Egypt airspace is open, then you route down into OEJD/Saudi, then on into OOMM/Oman. Parts of Saudi airspace have route-level closures due to military activity, further concentrating traffic onto remaining routes. Oman has reported GNSS interference, so be ready for degraded nav and tactical changes.

North via the Caucasus then Afghanistan

Armenia and Azerbaijan remain open and are being used heavily for the northern bypass. The issue here is that you then have Afghanistan airspace to deal with – the OAKX/Kabul FIR is open and seeing heavy overflight demand as part of the north routing, but remember it’s Class G with no ATC service available, so you have to follow the published contingency routes.

Recent developments

Definitely not a comprehensive list, but here are some of the bigger incidents and developments across the region worth knowing about:

March 12 – Azerbaijan routings

Useful to know for east west flights routing through the Caucasus to avoid the Middle East. Azerbaijan is asking overflying traffic in the UBBA/Baku FIR to use specific boundary crossings. Flights routing to or from the UDDF/Yerevan FIR should use MATAL, while flights to or from the UTAA/Turkmenbashi FIR should plan via MARAL, METKA, RODAR or LARGI. The current Notam runs until 12 March 1600z, but similar Notams have been issued over the past few days so expect it to be extended.

March 11 – No BizAv at LLBG/Tel Aviv

The Israeli Civil Aviation Authority has advised that from March 11, no BizAv flights will be approved at the airport. The restriction applies to all GA flights, with the only exceptions being ambulance flights and state aircraft. Some Opsgroup members have told us their pending permit requests have already been rejected or withdrawn following the announcement. No Notam has been published confirming the restriction yet, so check with your handler before planning any ops to LLBG.

March 11 – Opsgroup member reports

OMDW/Al Maktoum turn: One member reported a recent turn at OMDW/Al Maktoum with generally smooth operations despite the regional situation. Arriving from the north, the only operational issue was GPS jamming beginning near Riyadh. The airport itself was quiet and well organised. Departure was delayed by about five minutes due to military activity. The permit process was more involved than usual, requiring a risk assessment before approval as part of the current UAE corridor procedures (see this section below for more info).

OERK/Riyadh rescue flight: Another member operating a Part 121 rescue flight reported smooth ops on a routing Germany-Riyadh-Germany. The permit process and UAE GCAA No Objection Certificate were issued without problems. Ground handling at OERK/Riyadh was efficient, with fuel uplift starting immediately on arrival and a two-hour ground time. The western routing via Saudi-Egypt-Greece worked without issues. They also reported that insurance applied a premium for the trip, and the flight required a Safety Risk Analysis including FAA considerations.

March 11 – EASA CZIB update

EASA has extended CZIB 2026-03 following its latest review on March 11. There is no change to the warning – the bulletin applies at all altitudes across the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia, and advises operators not to operate there due to the risk from missiles, air defence systems and military activity. The current validity runs to March 18.

March 9-11 – Gulf missile and drone attacks

Iranian missile and drone attacks continued across the Gulf between March 9 and 11. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar reported intercepting several missiles and drones, while the UAE activated air defences during alerts that briefly caused arrival holding at OMDB/Dubai. Authorities also reported drones falling near Dubai on March 11, injuring several people, though airport operations continued. No airport strikes or new airspace closures have been reported so far.

March 7 – OMDB/Dubai drone incident

OMDB/Dubai Airport briefly suspended operations on March 7 after a drone struck near Terminal 3, causing minor damage and smoke near the terminal area. Flights were halted while authorities checked the airport and several arrivals aborted or held. Operations resumed later the same day, though delays continued across the airport.

March 7 – OTHH/Doha limited reopening

Qatar has begun a very limited reopening after closing its airspace at the start of the missile and drone attacks. A small number of evacuation and cargo flights are now operating with specific approvals, but this is not a full reopening – regular passenger services remain suspended and capacity remains very limited.

March 6 – Israel

Ops at LLBG/Tel Aviv were briefly disrupted when an El Al repatriation flight had to abort its landing after missile sirens sounded across central Israel during an Iranian attack wave. The aircraft entered a holding pattern before returning for a second approach once the alert was lifted.

March 6 – OOMS/Muscat “scheduled flights only” Notam

Some media reports say Muscat is restricting BizAv flights due to congestion from evacuation traffic. A Notam appears to support this: OOMS airport accepts scheduled flights only, all diversion flights subject to prior approval. However, a local handler at Jetex OOMS has advised that normal BizAv operations are continuing, and operators should not expect any practical impact from this Notam for now. Contact them at: fbo-mct@jetex.com for more info.

March 6 – UAE airports operating limited flights

Airlines have started operating more flights from UAE airports using the restricted corridor system, though capacity remains well below normal levels.

A local handler has advised that to use the current repatriation corridors into UAE airports, you must first obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the GCAA Foreign Operators Affairs Department (FOA). Operators reportedly submit a short risk assessment to foa@gcaa.gov.ae, after which a NOC is issued. This must then be provided to your handler for the landing permit request. Response times are typically less than 60 mins, and a single NOC can cover multiple flights for the same aircraft during the recovery period. You can find an example of a completed risk assessment here.

March 6 – Oman becoming a staging point

Flightradar24 are reporting that OOMM/Muscat is becoming a staging point for evacuation and repositioning flights. Airline and private aircraft have been using the airport to position for repatriation flights, as it sits just outside the most restricted Gulf airspace while still providing access to the southern bypass route via Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

March 5 – Azerbaijan drone strike

Iranian drones crossed the Iran-Azerbaijan border early on March 5 and one struck the terminal building at UBBN/Nakhchivan airport. Damage appears limited to the terminal area with no confirmed runway impact. This is the first time the current Iran conflict has spilled into the Caucasus, close to the Armenia-Azerbaijan overflight corridor used by traffic avoiding the Middle East airspace closures. No impact has been reported to UBBB/Baku airport or the main overflight flows.

March 4 – Missile interception over Turkey

On March 4, a ballistic missile launched from Iran travelled west and was intercepted over southern Turkey by NATO air defence systems. Debris was reported to have fallen in the Hatay region near the Syrian border. Turkish airspace remains open and there has been no operational impact reported so far, but the incident highlights how far west some of the missile activity associated with the conflict is now extending.

March 3 – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Iranian drones struck the US Embassy area during overnight attacks on Saudi Arabia. Damage was reported in the area, though Saudi air defences intercepted several other drones targeting the city.

March 1-2 – Cyprus

A drone strike caused minor damage at RAF Akrotiri, a major UK airbase used for regional military operations. Nearby LCPH/Paphos airport was briefly evacuated after radar detected a potential aerial threat approaching the island.

Since Feb 28 – Israel and Iran

US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets triggered ongoing Iranian missile and drone retaliation across Israel and several Gulf states. Multiple waves of attacks have targeted military bases and infrastructure across the region, leading to widespread airspace closures and disruption to normal Middle East flight routes.

Bottom line

This does not look like a short disruption. There’s no sign of a quick de-escalation, and there are rolling airspace closures of several FIRs.

For now the central block between Israel and Iran is effectively closed – which removes the normal Gulf corridor entirely.

In practical terms there are only two ways around it: north via the Caucasus and Afghanistan, or south via Egypt, Saudi and Oman.

If you have operated in the region this week and could share your experience, please let us know at news@ops.group.

More on the topic:

• More: Crisis in Iran: Elevated Airspace Risk
• More: EASA Removes CZIBs: Middle East Risk Gets Harder to Read
• More: 2025 Update: BizAv Ops to Israel
• More: Why EASA has Withdrawn Airspace Warnings for Iran and Israel
• More: Dodging Danger: The Three Routes Through the Middle East

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