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A Eurowings flight from the UAE to Germany confronted an in a single day delay and two diversions to keep away from Iranian airspace final month.
Flight 1153 from Dubai to Stuttgart diverted from its unique itinerary because of ongoing geopolitical tensions on 24 January.
With feedback from President Trump threatening US intervention in Iran, many airways have rerouted flights to keep away from Iranian airspace.
The Lufthansa Group determined as a precautionary measure to not use Iranian or Iraqi airspace for flights by any of the group’s airways.
In accordance with FlightAware knowledge, the Airbus A320neo flew simply over six hours to a refuelling cease at Thessaloniki airport, Greece, required to finish the plane’s prolonged flight path.
The unscheduled refuel pushed the Eurowings’ flight arrival time previous a touchdown curfew at Stuttgart airport, with the aircraft diverted to lastly contact down in Nuremberg at round 1.30am – 11 hours after the standard direct flight from Dubai.
Direct flights between Dubai and Stuttgart normally take round six to seven hours.
Eurowings, a low-cost German service, operated the final leg of the journey, half-hour to Stuttgart, the following morning.
The airline instructed The Unbiased: “Final week, some flights from Dubai again to Germany have required a refuelling cease in Thessaloniki, Greece. This was because of an extended flight distance and stronger headwinds on the choice route on the time.
Eurowings added: “As a result of night time flight restrictions at German vacation spot airports (comparable to Berlin, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart), some flights landed later in Nuremberg and Cologne/Bonn, amongst different locations.”
A number of worldwide airways have rerouted or rescheduled flights over Iran, flying as a substitute over Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia, amid heightened tensions with the US.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has maintained a ban on US carriers flying via Iranian airspace since early 2020, a restriction formally prolonged to not less than October 2027 in 2024.
On 16 January, the European Union Aviation Security Company (EASA) mentioned in a Battle Zone Info Bulletin: “Contemplating the general excessive stage of tensions, Iran is prone to preserve elevated alert ranges for its air pressure and air defence items nationwide.
“Within the occasion of a U.S. intervention, the potential for retaliatory actions in opposition to its belongings within the area can’t be excluded, which may introduce extra dangers to the airspace of neighbouring international locations the place the U.S. army bases are situated.”
EASA suggested airways not function inside the airspace of Iran “in any respect altitudes and flight ranges”, and to train warning inside the airspace of neighbouring international locations.
Learn extra: What rights do you must compensation for cancelled or delayed flights?
