Türkiye has extended the suspension of flights to several Middle Eastern destinations due to escalating security risks linked to the ongoing conflict in Iran, a senior official announced on Friday.
The war, which began last weekend with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, triggering retaliatory strikes from Tehran, has caused the biggest disruption to air travel since the COVID-19 pandemic.
With airspace closed and transit hubs in the Gulf disrupted, carriers have been scrambling to put on extra long-haul flights as demand surges from passengers looking for alternative routes.
Flights by Turkish carriers to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan have been stopped until March 9, Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said.
In a statement, Uraloğlu said flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would not take place on Friday.
Turkish Airlines (THY) and Pegasus Airlines have removed Iran flights from their programs until March 12 and March 20, respectively.
Uraloğlu said airspace closures continued in Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria, except for Aleppo.
He added that partial air traffic continues in Oman, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, while operations in the United Arab Emirates are being managed in a controlled and limited manner.
Uraloğlu added that a total of seven Iraqi Airways aircraft were grounded at Turkish airports, while two Turkish aircraft remained at an airport in Tehran.
Two flights by Azerbaijan Airways were rerouted to the Iğdir province and passengers were transported to Nakhchivan by land after Iranian drone attacks there, he said.
