• Wizz Air suspends flights to four Middle East destinations
• Routes to Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman halted
• Decision follows U.S.-Israeli military operations in Iran
• Suspensions in effect through March 7, airline says
Having no plans of domestic or international flights this week, Low-cost airline, Wizz Air has cancelled flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman due to the security threats which intensified after the latest U.S and Israeli military incursions towards Iran overnight. Airline also verified that its flights to Israel and to the United Arab Emirates hub of Dubai and Abu Dhabi and also to Jordan capital of Amman would be suspended until immediately after March 7.
The move comes after intensified tensions when U.S. President Donald Trump declared the beginning of the massive combat operations against Iran, as well as, the Israeli missile attacks. This was announced by Wizz Air on Saturday morning, which stated: "After the recent escalation of the security situation in Iran, Wizz Air, confirms its posting of all flights inviola in and out of Iran, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman forthwith, until and including 7 th March.
The carrier also said that it is keeping a close watch on the situation and keeping in touch with aviation safety agencies and other relevant bodies. The overall safety and security of our passengers, crew and aircraft are the utmost priorities of Wizz Air. This will cause disruption, which we understand and appreciate, and the understanding of our customers.
Regional Airspace Disruptions Increase
This suspension follows a series of countries in the Middle East placing restrictions on the movement of airspace to take retaliation in the form of missile launchings and the claimed explosion in various states of the Gulf. When Iranian missiles were launched into Israeli airspace, Israel shut down its airspace to civilian flights and declared a state of emergency.
Airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi meanwhile reported on an operational review as the Gulf states examined the risks based on the local military activity in the area. Air traffic passing through Dubai, one of the world's largest aviation centres, was destroyed and the airlines had to balance routes. In the same manner, flights in and out of Tel Aviv were called off after air-raid sirens and missile alarms.
Examining the perspective brought about by the Reuters that states Brent crude oil futures had surged in early trading Saturday by more than 4 per cent in comparison to the 1 per cent of the last session, some concerns tackling the risk that the pressure would continue to increase and the results would impede energy provision, and the aviation fuel logistics.
In early market signs, aviation stocks in Europe plummeted and turned around scant gains made in the previous trading day. Suspensions of flights in Gulf hubs according to industry analysts may have a fast repercussion on the entire international networks especially as Dubai is a transit hub run between Europe, Asia and Australia.
Fallout Diplomacy and Fallout Warfare
The actions of the airliner come after the synchronised U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iranian targets. Trump announced that Washington had initiated significant fighting operations that were to counter what he referred to as threats posed by the Iranian regime. Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli Prime Minister, told that the joint action aimed at eradicating an existential threat.
The state media in Iran covered the explosions in Tehran and other places, and the video demonstrated on the national television reported on the destroyed buildings and the emergency crews finding the victims. Denial of Iranian authorities seeking nuclear weapons is not new. The U.S. embassies and consulates in Qatar, the UAE and Israel recommended that staff go into a shelter and asked American citizens in the region to do the same until further notice.
The naval presence of the U.S in the Middle East had already increased before the attacks. At the end of January, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, escorted by guided-missile destroyers, arrived in the area to bolster the American assets since the situation had become highly tense. In the case of airlines, the security factor usually overrides any commercial considerations given the presence of active hostilities in the airspace that threatens the civilian airspace.
Flight way re-alignments, airspace shutdowns and underwriting dangers can quickly alter operations in impacted areas. Wizz Air reported that the respective passengers will be contacted directly to rebook or get a refund. The carrier did not indicate whether there were more route suspensions to follow indicating that on how things were going, operations proceeded to be evaluated.
With military actions and retaliatory measures going on in the region, the aviation security agencies, alongside the airline companies, are likely to revise the day-to-day flight schedule on a daily basis in as far as security developments are concerned.
