Security
Aircraft Operators Face Complex Risks in Middle East
Regulatory guidance over airspace safety continues to be inconsistent
Middle East map
Security analysts are cautioning aircraft operators to be alert to widening and more complex security threats resulting from conflict in the Middle East. © Google Maps

Aircraft operators face an array of potentially hazardous decisions when planning flights around the Middle East region as military conflict continues to escalate between Israel and Iran-backed forces in Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen. In a presentation to customers this week, security consultants Osprey Flight Solutions advised extreme caution with risks to aircraft now also extending across Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

According to Matthew Borie, Osprey’s chief intelligence officer, operators need to be especially careful in their risk management in the face of conflicting advisories from various regulators. On September 28, EASA issued conflict zone information bulletins advising against using the Tel Aviv and Beirut flight information zones at all altitudes. Nonetheless, airports in both cities remain open for now.