US aviation authority issues order prohibiting flights over some Iran-controlled airspace
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/21/united-airlines-suspends-newark-mumbai-flights-over-iran-airspace.html
US aviation authority issues order prohibiting flights over some Iran-controlled airspace
Published Thu, Jun 20 2019 10:06 PM EDT|Updated Thu, Jun 20 2019 11:13 PM EDT
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday issued an emergency order prohibiting U.S. operators from flying in an overwater area of Iran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman due to heightened tensions.
It comes a day after Iran shot down a high-altitude U.S. surveillance drone. The downing of the unarmed Global Hawk aircraft, which can fly at up to 60,000 ft (18,300 m), was the latest of a series of incidents in the Gulf region, a critical artery for global oil supplies, that included explosive strikes on six oil tankers.
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Earlier Thursday, United Airlines said it had suspended flights from New Jerseys Newark airport to the Indian financial capital of Mumbai following a safety review.
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Flight tracking data showed commercial aircraft were flying very close to the unpiloted Global Hawk at the time it was shot down, said OPSGROUP, which provides safety guidance to air operators. The threat of a civil aircraft shootdown in southern Iran is real, it advised operators on Thursday. Avoiding the Strait of Hormuz area is recommended misidentification of aircraft is possible.
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On Thursday, two other carriers, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, said they did not fly over Iran.