EU aviation agency issues Saudi airspace advisory after Houthi attacks

HOUTHI FIGHTERS. Newly recruited Houthi fighters stand during a rally to commemorate the late leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, on October 4, 2024.

Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

The agency also extends until November 16 its warning to airlines to avoid the airspace over Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, as well as the territorial Gulf waters of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an advisory to airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, according to a bulletin posted on its website on Wednesday, Septembet 30, following a recent increase in attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis.

The latest advisory on Saudi Arabia does not mention Wednesday’s incident involving a diverted flydubai airliner, and the EASA said it will continue to monitor the situation to assess whether there is an increase or decrease in risk for EU airlines in the country.

The EASA, in a separate bulletin, recommended that flights not operate within the airspace of Jordan at any altitude or flight level, a change from a previous advisory to exercise caution.

The agency also extended until November 16 its warning to airlines to avoid the airspace over Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, as well as the territorial Gulf waters of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, revising earlier bulletins that recommended avoiding those countries’ entire airspace.

The seven-month-old conflict in the Middle East, sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Iran, has seen Tehran strike US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles, while Yemen’s Houthis have targeted Saudi interests. – Rappler.com