SIA To Divert Flights Away From Iranian Airspace After Missile Attacks On US Troops In Iraq On 8 Jan
Update (8 Jan, 2.50pm): Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also announced that all flights travelling in and out of Europe and Saudi Arabia will be diverted away from Iranian airspace.
The budget carrier will continue to monitor the situation “closely”, according to a Scoot spokesperson.
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Singapore Airlines has just announced that it is diverting all flights away from Iranian airspace, but have declined to give a reason for the diversion.
According to The Straits Times on Wednesday (8 Jan), the move follows other international airlines such as British Airways and all American airlines, who have not flown over Iran since June 2019.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has also just issued a ban for all US airlines from flying over Iranian airspace due to heightened military activity, according to the BBC.
SIA to divert flights after Iranians launch missiles against US forces
SIA’s announcement came shortly after more than a dozen ballistic missiles were launched at 2 military bases housing US troops in Iraq – as confirmed by the Pentagon – earlier this morning (8 Jan).
Al-Asad air base in Iraq, which was attacked this morning.
Source
There have not been any casualty reports from Al-Asad and Erbil, the Iraqi military bases that were attacked.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps have declared that the attack will be followed with further retaliation for the killing of top Iranian general Qassim Suleimani, according to the New York Times.
US President Donald Trump wrote at 10.45am local time on Twitter, saying that they are currently in the midst of evaluating casualties and damages.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1214739853025394693
Repercussions of US-Iran conflict
The world has already begun reacting to the escalation in hostilities. Crude oil prices have jumped by 2.5%, while global stocks have fallen. The Japanese Nikkei has dropped 2.2%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index is down 1.3%.
Singapore Airlines shares have also fallen 1.67% by 15 cents, according to The Straits Times.
Motorists should take note of this, as petrol prices in Singapore have increased by 3 cents a litre as well.
Watch out for e-mails regarding possible re-routing
In the meantime, readers with flights that would normally have flown over Iran should not be too worried.
Singapore Airlines also diverted flights last June after Iran shot down a US drone, along with a number of other airlines.
Readers can view real-time airspace traffic at FlightRadar24.
We will follow the story as it develops.
Featured image adapted from Mainly Miles.
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