Iran briefly shut its airspace for nearly five hours on Wednesday amid heightened fears of possible military action between the United States and Iran, disrupting global air travel and forcing airlines to cancel, reroute, or delay flights.
According to a notice posted on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s website, Iran closed its airspace at 5:15 p.m. ET (2215 GMT), allowing only international flights to and from Iran with special authorization. The restriction was lifted shortly before 10 p.m. ET (0300 GMT), data from flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed.
Soon after, several flights operated by Iranian carriers including Mahan Air, Yazd Airways, and AVA Airlines were among the first to cross Iranian airspace again. By comparison, dozens of aircraft had been flying over Iran at the same time on previous days.
The temporary shutdown coincided with escalating political and security tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump was considering potential responses to developments in Iran, which has been experiencing its largest anti-government protests in years.
A U.S. official said Washington was withdrawing some personnel from Middle East bases after a senior Iranian figure warned that Tehran could target American bases in neighboring countries if the U.S. launched strikes.
Airspace risks have grown globally as missile and drone activity increases in several conflict zones, raising serious safety concerns for commercial aviation.
India’s largest carrier, IndiGo, said some of its international services were affected by Iran’s sudden closure. Air India noted that its flights were taking alternative routes, potentially leading to delays or cancellations.
Russia’s Aeroflot was also impacted, with one Tehran-bound flight returning to Moscow after the airspace was shut, according to Flightradar24.
Earlier the same day, Germany issued a new advisory warning its airlines against entering Iranian airspace. This followed Lufthansa’s decision to adjust its Middle East operations due to rising regional tensions.
The United States already bans U.S. commercial aircraft from flying over Iran, and there are no direct flights between the two countries. Meanwhile, several airlines including flydubai and Turkish Airlines—have canceled multiple Iran-bound flights over the past week.
“Many airlines have already reduced or suspended services, and most are avoiding Iranian airspace altogether,” Safe Airspace, a flight-risk monitoring service run by OPSGROUP, said. “The situation suggests a heightened risk of military or security activity, including missile launches or intensified air defenses, which increases the danger of civilian aircraft being misidentified.”
