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Published : 04 Oct 2024, 09:30 AM
Flights from several airlines departing from Dhaka are avoiding the use of Iranian and Iraqi airspace amid the recent conflict between Iran and Israel.
National carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines regularly uses the airspace for flights travelling to Italy’s Rome or the UK’s Manchester.
“Biman is not using Iraqi or Iranian airspace amid the conflict between Iran and Israel. We are using alternative routes,” Nahid Islam, a Biman spokesman, said on Thursday night.
“Other airlines departing from Bangladesh are also avoiding the Iranian and Iraqi airspace.”
At 1:30pm on Thursday, a flight departed from Sylhet, headed for Manchester.
According to flight monitoring website flightradar24.com, the plane made its way through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania on its way to the UK.
The flight was to arrive at 7:30pm local time in Manchester.
Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel on Tuesday after months of escalating tension over Israel’s operation in Gaza and recent military strikes against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
If Israel retaliates, Iran has warned that Tehran's response will be more 'deadly and destructive'.
Israel says Iran will pay a heavy price for the attack.
The situation risks spiralling out into an all-out war in the Middle East.
As such, most airlines are avoiding the use of Iraqi and Iranian airspace. Only Middle East-based airlines operating flights using their country's airports as hubs are still making use of it.
However, several airlines, including Emirates and Fly Dubai have already stopped operating flights to Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran.
According to flight radar, Egypt Air, which operates flights from Bangladesh to the Egyptian capital of Cairo is now using a route to Cairo via India, the Arabian Sea, and Dubai, using the airspace of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel.
The airline operates flights from Bangladesh twice a week.
