Major carriers from around the world, including Emirates, British Airways, Qantas and Singapore Airlines, on Friday suspended flights over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran-US tensions flare over the downing of a drone.
The suspensions came after the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) prohibiting US-registered aircraft from operating over the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
The Administration warned of a "potential for miscalculation or misidentification" in the region after an Iranian surface-to-air missile on Thursday brought down a US Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk, an unmanned aircraft with a wingspan larger than a Boeing 737 jetliner and costing over $100 million.
The US said it made plans for limited strikes on Iran in response, but then called them off. The operation was abruptly called off with just hours to go, a US official said.
The official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the targets would have included radars and missile batteries. The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump had approved the strikes Thursday night, but then called them off. The newspaper cited anonymous senior administration officials.
The FAA previously warned of a risk in the region, but Friday's warning threw into stark relief a danger both it and analysts warned was real.
"The threat of a civil aircraft shoot-down in southern Iran is real," warned OPSGROUP, a company that provides guidance to global airlines.
The FAA made a similar warning in May to commercial airliners of the possibility of Iranian anti-aircraft gunners mistaking them for military aircraft, something dismissed by Tehran some 30 years after the US Navy shot down an Iranian passenger jet.
The FAA's latest notice applies only to US-registered airlines, and United Airlines said it was suspending its Newark-Mumbai service in response. But European and Asian operators were taking no chances.
"Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities -- including the likes of the FAA -- around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate," a BA spokeswoman said.
Germany's Lufthansa followed suit in bypassing the Hormuz area.
Dutch carrier KLM said: "Safety is the top priority for KLM.
"The incident with the drone is reason not to fly over the Strait of Hormuz for the time being. This is a precautionary measure."
UAE’s Emirates Airline said it has taken precautionary measures including rerouting all flights away from areas of possible conflict.
Australia's flag carrier Qantas said: "We're adjusting our flight paths over the Middle East to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman until further notice."
Singapore Airlines echoed Qantas and the other long-haul operators transiting over Iran, saying that some of its "flights may be taking slightly longer routings to avoid the affected Strait of Hormuz area".
