
2020-01-07 20:51:03
The Federal Aviation Administration announced new flight restrictions in the Middle East late Tuesday following Iran’s attack on military bases in Iraq that housed U.S. soldiers.
The administration temporarily prohibited U.S. commercial airlines from flying over Iraq, Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. The FAA said it was “closely monitoring” events in the region and “coordinating with our national security partners.”
#FAA Statement: #NOTAMs issued outlining flight restrictions that prohibit U.S. civil aviation operators from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. pic.twitter.com/kJEbpPddp3
— The FAA (@FAANews) January 8, 2020
In a notice to U.S. airlines, the FAA said the restrictions were due to “heightened military activities and increased political tensions in the Middle East, which present an inadvertent risk to U.S. civil aviation operations due to the potential for miscalculation or misidentification.”