Iran war, rogue drones force European aviation safety rethink
A Boeing 747 plane takes off from Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates earlier this month.
Photo: EPA Wars, including a widening conflict in the Middle East, are heightening risks for aviation as flight corridors are squeezed and drones become more widespread, Europe’s top aviation safety regulator has said.
The month-old Iran war is reshaping airspace across the Middle East and increasing disruption to flights, including clogging routes between Asia and Europe that previously transited or flew over the region.
On top of the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict and fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, that has forced airlines into ever tighter corridors, notably over Azerbaijan and central Asia. “It’s clear that concentrating traffic on certain routes, the availability of the airspace for air traffic control, the fact that traffic can use routes which are not so usual, can generate safety risks,” said Florian Guillermet, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
An armed Ukrainian drone flies over a training ground in the Zaporizhzhia region with a bomb attached last week.
Photo: Reuters The comments are the first from Europe’s aviation regulator since the Middle East war erupted at the end of February.
Aviation is among the most disrupted industries, with pilots facing growing risks from missiles and drones.
Guillermet, a sector veteran who previously ran France’s air traffic control system, said crew and controllers were trained to anticipate and mitigate risks.
Even so, shutting airspace or restricting flights were sometimes unavoidable. “We in aviation have the means to mitigate risk.
One of those means is to clear the skies,” he said, adding that while this disrupted passengers, it remained the most effective way to keep traffic density “under control at all times”.
EASA, which brings together 31 European countries, is preparing a regular overhaul of its aviation strategy at a time when one of the safest transport modes faces rising hazards – from GPS interference and drones to operational threats such as unstable approaches and runway incidents.
On Friday, EASA renewed its advisory to avoid airspace over Iran, Israel and parts of the Gulf until April 10.
EASA was also drafting clearer guidance on what powers can be used to counter the surge in rogue drone activity targeting civil airports, Guillermet said.
EU airports are grappling with drone incidents that security experts li
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