By Joanna Plucinska
LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - European airlines like Wizz Air, Lufthansa and British Airways dodged Iraqi and Iranian airspace on Thursday, according to flight tracking websites, opting
instead for routes over Afghanistan and central Asia in an effort to mitigate risks associated with the ongoing geopolitical turmoil in Iran and the Middle East.
Iran closed, then reopened its airspace after nearly five hours on Wednesday amid concerns about possible military action between the U.S. and Iran that forced airlines to cancel, reroute or delay flights. Despite the airspace reopening, many airlines, including Singapore Airlines and TUI, continued to use alternative routes, according to FlightRadar24.
In the last two years, many Western airlines have changed their routing in the Middle East, with many flying over Afghanistan more often despite ongoing Taliban rule, in an effort to avoid other more turbulent conflict zones.
Earlier on Wednesday, Germany issued a new directive cautioning the country's airlines against entering Iranian airspace, shortly after Lufthansa rejigged its flight operations across the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region.
"We avoid Iraqi and Iranian airspaces, therefore some westbound flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports will have to make (refuelling and crew change) stops in Larnaca, Cyprus or Thessaloniki, Greece," a Wizz Air spokesperson said on Thursday.
Carriers like Ryanair have moved some of their routes away from the Middle East in recent months in an effort to avoid the turmoil surrounding Israel, Iran and other countries. Others like Air France have long avoided Iranian airspace.
(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska, editing by Ed Osmond)
