EU aviation body reinstates Middle East flights warning as fighting resumes (updated)

International Consolidated Airlines

14/07/2026 14:06

Recasts, adds details and background throughout

    July 14 (Reuters) - The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Tuesday reinstated and toughened its warning to airlines operating in the Middle East, telling them to avoid the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and over the Gulf of Oman as the U.S.-Iran war flared up again.

    Just a week ago, EASA withdrew its previous advisory following a brief easing of regional tensions as a result of last month's interim ceasefire between Tehran and Washington. That warning had asked airlines 
    to exercise caution
     when operating within the airspace of these countries, as well as Israel, Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. 
  
The new, more restrictive advisory is valid until July 29.

    Iran 
    fired
     ballistic missiles at a U.S. air base in Jordan on Tuesday, while U.S. forces launched waves of attacks for the third successive night after Iran said on Saturday it was closing the Strait of Hormuz. This move prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to reinstate a blockade of Iranian shipping and propose a 20% fee to guard the vital waterway.
  

     "The presence of major US military facilities in the region increases the likelihood that the states covered by this Conflict Zone Information Bulletin may be directly exposed to Iranian missile and drone attacks," EASA said, citing also the risk of misidentification of civil aircraft by
     U.S. and other air defence systems.
  

     Separately, EASA's advisory asking airlines 
    not to operate
     within the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon was extended last week until the end of August.
  
     

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Joe Bavier and Andrei Khalip)
((Shubham.Kalia@thomsonreuters.com))