E-Paper
Iran cancels all flights until October 7 due to 'operational restrictions'
The Iranian airspace was closed on Tuesday night for nearly two days, before flights resumed on Thursday morning.
All flights from Iran’s airports have been cancelled from 9 pm on Sunday until 6am local time (0230 GMT) on Monday, state media reported, citing a spokesperson for Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation. The flights were halted due to "operational restrictions," the spokesperson said, without providing further details.
Because of those restrictions, “the flights at some airports of the country will be cancelled from 21:00 tonight (1730 GMT), Sunday, October 6, until 6:00 am tomorrow, October 7,” according to IRNA state news agency.
This comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, following Tehran’s missile attacks on Israel last week. Iran launched around 200 missiles on Tuesday, marking its second direct strike on Israel this year, in what it described as retaliation for the killing of Iranian-aligned militant leaders and a senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Israel has vowed to retaliate, although it has yet to specify when or how.
The Iranian airspace was closed on Tuesday night for nearly two days, following the missile attack, before flights resumed on Thursday morning. Security concerns were cited as the reason for the temporary shutdown of both domestic and international flights.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has advised airlines to avoid Iranian airspace until October 31 due to the volatile situation, and the advisory is under ongoing review.
Amid concerns of potential Israeli strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure, oil minister Mohsen Paknejad visited Kharg Island, home to the country’s largest oil export terminal, on Sunday. According to the oil ministry’s news agency, Shana, Paknejad met with a senior Revolutionary Guards Navy commander to discuss the security of the country's key oil and gas facilities.
Israel has not ruled out the possibility of targeting Iran’s oil facilities as part of its retaliation. Iranian oil exports, which make up around 3% of global output, have reached near multi-year highs, with China being the primary buyer despite US sanctions.
The Kharg Island terminal, from which around 90% of Iranian oil exports are shipped, has a storage capacity of 23 million barrels of crude, making it a critical site in Iran’s oil industry.
With inputs from agencies
