Skift Take
The new week brings a relative stabilization after a tense weekend, however many airlines are still avoiding parts of the region.
After a tense weekend in the Middle East, airlines are considering what, if any, changes need to be made to their networks and routes.
On Saturday evening, the airspace above Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Iran was closed or heavily restricted. As well as impacting services to the region, it also affected long-distance journeys that fly over these countries when traveling to other parts of the world.
By Monday, the situation had stabilized, and the temporary airspace bans were lifted.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it is “closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East.” However, it emphasized that “there was no overflight risk for civil aviation at any time.”
Not Quite Business As UsualMany big-name brands were still taking a cautious approach.
On Monday, Virgin Atlantic confirmed to Skift that it has made changes to Indian routes. An additional 30-minute flight time is expected for services to Mumbai and Bengaluru.
“We have been closely following events in the Middle East and have made the decision to temporarily avoid the airspace of Iraq, Iran, and Israel, meaning some Virgin Atlantic passenger services between t