Mid-flight turbulence is scary enough without the fear of crossing paths with a ballistic missile.
But that’s the risk on airplane passengers’ minds after a British Airways flight destined for Dubai narrowly missed Iranian missiles heading to Israel on Tuesday.
Flight diversions left a gaping hole on tracking maps as airlines diverted planes out of their path in the skies over Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel.
Although the airspace has since reopened, many airlines have suspended flights to and from Lebanon and Israel, where a ‘no fly’ warning remains in place according to the Safe Airspace website’s Conflict Zone & Risk Database.
It warns of ‘high risks to civil aircraft’ flying over Iraq, which ‘should be avoided entirely, except for specific routes and altitudes’.
Jordan is also classed in the second level of risk as a result of GPS interference due to its proximity to Israel and Lebanon.
As a result, passengers may question the safety of travel to nearby tourist hotspots like Turkey, Egypt and Dubai, which may sometimes require travel through at-risk airspace.
Is it safe to travel to Dubai?
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) , of which Dubai is a part.
In fact, the Gulf state is one of a handful of countries in the Middle East where no flight warning is in place, according to Safe Airspace.
Given airlines have diverted Dubai flights around Iraqi, Jordanian, Israeli and Lebanese airspace, you’re unlikely to encounter conflict-related problems while flying there.
But ‘terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in the UAE’, indiscriminately or targeting foreign nationals including UK citizens, according to FCDO.
In its latest update to UAE travel advice, the FCDO warned that ‘ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could escalate quickly and pose risks for the wider region’.
UK passport holders visited the UAE more than 1,000,000 times in 2023.
LGBT+ travellers and women should take particular care due to a ban on same-sex activity, as well as social attitudes towards gender,
Is it safe to travel to Egypt?
The FCDO which borders Gaza where more than 40,000 people have died in Israel’s 12-month war.
It has also been subjected to terrorist attacks in recent years, particularly during religious festivals like Ramadan and Christmas, and at sites frequented by tourists.
Safe Airspace urges caution when flying over Egypt, mainly because Germany advises against flights below 26,000ft in North Sinai due to ‘anti-aviation and ground weaponry’.
Straddling the boundary between Africa and Asia, there are also different degrees of danger in various regions of Egypt, visited by half a million people from the UK each year.
If you are travelling to the heavily populated area along the River Nile – as dense with ancient artefacts as it is with people – you are likely to be safe.
Further south and along the Sinai Peninsula’s Red Sea coasts, where you can find popular resorts like Sharm el Sheikh, are deemed safe thanks to security operations.
The FCDO also due to ongoing conflict in that country.
is advised for much of the desert west of the Nile and the area of Ismailiyah Governorate east of the Suez Canal due to crime and military operations.
This also applies to the Hala’ib Triangle and Bir Tawil Trapezoid in southern Egypt due to border disputes with Sudan.
Travel to and across other parts of the border with Sudan, where there is an ongoing civil war, is ‘at your own risk’, FCDO said
A lack of embassy staff in this area, where there ‘is almost no infrastructure’, means the UK government’s ‘ability to provide assistance is very limited’.
LGBT+ travellers and foreign nationals participating in political activity may be detained or imprisoned by sometimes violent security forces in the country, which has a ‘restrictive’ political environment ruled by a military dictatorship.
Is it safe to travel to Turkey?
You’ll be glad to know you won’t have to fly through any drones or missiles if you travel to Turkey, one of the top ten destinations for Brits, who visited more than 3,000,000 times last year.
Several flights circled back while still in the safety of Turkish airspace in order to dodge the barrage of 180 Iranian missiles launched at Israel on Tuesday night.
There is some risk associated with flying there though, with Safe Airspace advising caution, its lowest category of concern.
In large part this is due to the risk of local militia misidentifying civilian flights when occasionally targeting military aircraft.
Russia’s war in Ukraine can also result in GPS signal interference in Turkey’s airspace over the Black Sea to the north.
This can also happen further south due to conflicts in neighbouring countries like Syria and Iraq.
Once you’re on the ground, you will be relatively safe
A warning against non-essential travel was extended to Şırnak – supposedly home to Noah’s tomb – and nearby Hakkâri province in southeastern Turkey earlier this year.
This is due to the risk of terrorism, previously carried out by the PKK, a militant group fighting for Kurdish independence.
More recently, the threat comes from ISIS and Al-Qaeda-linked groups in Syria.
The rest of the country – including seaside spots like Izmir, the capital Ankara, and transcontinental Istanbul, home of the Hagia Sophia – are deemed safe for travel.
However, there were terrorist attacks carried out in Istanbul in January and February this year.
Although Israel’s conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran isn’t expected to spill over into Turkey, there have been pro-Palestinian protests outside Israeli embassies and consulates.
The FCDO advises you to ‘avoid all demonstrations and leave the area if one develops’ given a tendency for police to use tear gas and water canons.
.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.