By Olivia Poh, Danny Lee and Charlotte Ryan

(Bloomberg) — Iran’s first direct attack from its soil on Israel over the weekend has hampered air travel in one of the world’s most densely populated regions, forcing airlines to take long detours from cities like London or Paris to destinations in the Persian Gulf or India.

Several countries in the Middle East, including Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, temporarily closed their airspace over the weekend as Iran fired drones and missiles. Both Israel and Iran also imposed restrictions on air traffic, forcing airlines to divert flights, lengthening flight times and increasing fuel costs.

European airlines took different measures on Monday. EasyJet Plc suspended operations to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, while British Airways Plc continued to operate flights to Israel and Jordan. The airline faced disruption over the weekend when a flight to Jordan had to turn around due to the airspace closure.

Other airlines that have avoided the region or suspended flights to countries such as Israel and Jordan include Qantas Airways Ltd., Singapore Airlines Ltd., Air France and Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

Air France said it would resume flights to Beirut on Monday and Tel Aviv on Tuesday following the reopening of Israeli and Lebanese airspace. However, it said flight times to destinations such as Dubai, India and Singapore would be extended by up to 45 minutes due to changes in the flight schedule. Dutch partner KLM said it had cancelled flights to Tel Aviv on Monday.

“Air France reiterates that the safety of its customers and crews is its top priority,” the airline said. “The company constantly monitors developments in the geopolitical situation in the areas served and overflown by its aircraft in order to ensure the highest level of flight safety.”

Qatar Airways and Emirates resumed some suspended flights to the Middle East on Sunday with the reopening of airspace.

Iranian airspace is frequently used by airlines flying between Europe and India or Southeast Asia. The airspace over the Middle East is fraught with risks and complexities. Airlines are grappling with a number of challenges after the Russian invasion of Ukraine denied access to many carriers and forced long diversions that continue to this day.

At the beginning of Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, airlines faced numerous disruptions, especially in Tel Aviv, with flights to and from the country being cancelled.

Israel closed its airspace to domestic and international routes on Saturday and reopened it on Sunday morning. Lebanon and Iraq also resumed air traffic over their territories.

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The latest diversionary tactics come as Israel and its allies, led by the United States, fend off Iran’s response to a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria on April 1 that killed a senior military commander. Iran said on Saturday that its forces had seized an Israeli-linked container ship near the Strait of Hormuz.

A few days earlier, the Lufthansa Group had suspended flights to several cities in the Middle East. The group – whose airlines include Germany’s Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines – said on Sunday that it would resume flights to Tel Aviv, Erbil in Iraq and Amman on Tuesday. Flights to Beirut and Tehran, however, will remain suspended until at least April 18.

Qantas had temporarily changed its direct flights from Perth to London to include a stopover in Singapore to offset the additional fuel required for the diversion around the unstable region.

Singapore Air said its flights did not fly over Iranian airspace. Cathay Pacific Ltd. is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East but its flight operations are normal, a spokesman said in a text message on Sunday.

— With assistance from Siddharth Philip, Leen Al-Rashdan and Kate Duffy.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.