June 19, 2025, 9:32 am | Read time: 4 minutes
As summer vacations gradually begin in Germany, most trips planned for the school-free period are already booked. However, several global crises and conflicts are affecting international air travel. The tense situations in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, in particular, have led to airspace closures over various regions, including Israel, Iran, Ukraine, and large parts of Russia. Learn more about this at TRAVELBOOK.
Since 2022, European airlines, including Lufthansa, have been prohibited from using Russian airspace due to the Ukraine war. This has significant implications for travel, especially for long-haul flights to Asia. Various flights from Germany take considerably longer as the airlines must take extensive detours. Additionally, the airspace over Israel, Iran, and Iraq has been completely closed to civilian air traffic for several days. TRAVELBOOK spoke with experts from the travel security platform A3M about the impact on flight routes.
Overview
Airspace over Israel and Iran closed – what are the consequences?
On June 13, 2025, the war between Israel and Iran began. Since then, the airspace over both countries and over Iran has been closed to civilian aircraft. “The airspace in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon was also temporarily closed,” explains Marcel Conrad from A3M TRAVELBOOK. However, it has since been reopened.
Due to the additional airspace closures in the Middle East, many airlines are currently using alternative routes. Travelers, especially on routes to and from Asia, must expect longer flight times (and higher prices for new bookings). Frequently used detour corridors run through countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, or Turkey.
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Travel to vacation destinations in the Mediterranean also affected
The described detours are heavily frequented, according to expert Marcel Conrad. This not only affects long-haul travel but can also directly impact vacation destinations in the eastern Mediterranean, including popular spots like Greece, Turkey, or Egypt. Here, the congested airspaces can lead to delays. “It is also possible that transit times will be extended to create buffers for connecting flights.” Additionally, the heavy load on the remaining air corridors complicates air traffic control work, leading to further delays.
The simultaneous closure of various airspaces significantly restricts available flight routes, according to Conrad. “This leads to higher fuel costs, longer flight times, and strains in other world regions,” the security expert explains. Increased fuel costs and longer flight times typically directly affect ticket prices. It is common for these additional costs to be at least partially passed on to travelers.
Numerous airlines have rerouted their flights
On Wednesday evening (June 18, 2025), a special flight from Amman, Jordan’s capital, landed at Frankfurt Airport. It brought back 171 people who could not leave Israel due to the closed airspaces. Previously, the German Foreign Office emphasized in a statement that this measure was not an evacuation. “There are no flights from Israel. Therefore, this exit option is currently not available,” the statement said.
An A3M expert confirmed that air traffic over Israel, Iran, and Lebanon remains suspended until further notice–“except for individual repatriation flights.” Numerous airlines have therefore rerouted their flights. In Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, only the respective national airlines are currently operating.
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How dangerous is it currently to fly on vacation?
Due to the war between Israel and Iran and the airspace closures, numerous airlines have canceled flights. Airlines with major hubs in the region, such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, or Etihad, are particularly affected. “The current crisis shows that airlines prioritize safety,” emphasizes risk expert Marcel Conrad. This will remain true even if the airspaces are reopened.
However, the threat level could change, he concedes. This could happen if the conflict escalates further, for example, through U.S. military airstrikes from aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea or missile attacks by Iranian proxies. But airlines would respond to this in a timely manner as well.