Egypt suspends flights to Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon after Iranian-Israeli escalation

CAIRO – 14 April 2024: Egypt has announced the suspension of its flights to Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon due to the closure of airspace in these countries, announced the state-owned company EgyptAir in a statement on Sunday.

بيان اعلامي

نظرًا لإغلاق المجال الجوي أمام حركة الطيران فى كلٍ من الأردن والعراق ولبنان بسبب الأحداث الإقليمية في المنطقة، فقد قررت مصر للطيران تعليق رحلاتها الجوية من وإلى مختلف المطارات بالدول المذكورة عاليه وذلك لحين إشعار آخر.

وفى حالة وجود أى استفسارات يمكن لعملاء مصر… pic.twitter.com/k4FQXmEsyu

— EGYPTAIR (@EGYPTAIR) April 13, 2024

Iran announced that it has launched "extensive retaliatory drone strikes" against Israel, while Middle Eastern countries including Iraq and Jordan closed their aerospace and suspended air aviation.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that it launched drones against Tel Aviv in response to the Israeli attack against the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria’s Damascus on April 1.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that Iran launched drones against Tel Aviv and they would take hours to hit Israel. Israel estimates that the Iranian drones would reach Israel at 1 a.m. local time, an hour earlier than previous estimation.

While Iran announced that it closed their airspace until further notice, Israel also closed Ben Gurion Airport for 3 hours overnight and closed its aerospace.

The Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority (CARC) announced Saturday that Jordanian airspace would be temporarily closed to all incoming, departing, and transiting aircraft starting at 20:00 UTC.

The decision was made in response to escalating regional tensions and following a thorough assessment of risks in accordance with internationally recognized civil aviation safety standards.

Furthermore, Jordan declared a state of emergency following the Iranian attack on Israel.

Meanwhile, Iraqi aerospace closed and air aviation stopped, stated the Iraqi Nes Agency (INA). Also, Lebanon has announced the temporary closure of its airspace from 1:00 A.M. to 7:00 A.M. on Sunday. Rafic Al Hariri Airport will be closed during this period due to the heightened tensions in the region.

Egypt has expressed its deep concern about the Iranian-Israeli military escalation and demanded both sides to exercise the utmost restraint, announced the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

Egypt viewed the dangerous escalation unfolding in the Iranian-Israeli arena as a direct consequence of the warnings it has repeatedly issued regarding the perils of expanding conflict in the region, the statement added.

Cairo also confirmed that it maintains constant communication with all relevant parties to contain the situation, halt the escalation, and prevent the region from descending into a perilous spiral of instability that threatens the interests of its people.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian air forces are on high alert after Iran launched a series of drones against Israel on Saturday evening, a high-ranking Egyptian security source stated to Al Qahera news.

He added that Egypt is in contact with all parties to prevent the escalation.

The source added that a crisis cell comprising all relevant agencies and institutions closely monitors developments in the regional situation, providing around-the-clock reports to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.