Egypt has directed all its airlines to steer clear of Iranian airspace during a three-hour window early Thursday morning, amidst heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. The NOTAM, issued as a safety alert to pilots on Wednesday, specifies that this directive will be active from 01:00 to 04:00 GMT, without providing additional context for its issuance.
The notice explicitly states, "All Egyptian carriers shall avoid overflying Tehran (Flight Information Region) FIR. No flight plan will be accepted overflying such territory," referring to the stipulated three-hour timeframe. Numerous airlines are adjusting their routes to bypass both Iranian and Lebanese airspaces, and have suspended flights to Israel and Lebanon, amid fears of escalating conflict following the deaths of key figures from Hamas and Hezbollah.
OPSGROUP, an organization that disseminates flight risk data, commented that "Such a NOTAM from Egypt is very unusual. It is possible that this is an indicator of an Iranian response to Israel, and in turn a potentially large set of airspace disruptions - at the same time, there may be another reason." Earlier in the week, Jordanian authorities requested that all incoming flights to its airports carry an additional 45 minutes of fuel. This measure follows the closure of airspace by several regional countries, including Jordan, earlier this year in response to aerial assaults on Israel.
