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Tensions are high in Iran with American military forces massing in Jordan alongside the arrival of a carrier strike group (CSG) in the Arabian Sea. Airlines are making major diversions around the area as the setting mirrors that of the conditions when Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by Iranian Air Defenses in 2020.
A particularly acute example of the impact that this is having on passenger air travel can be found with the Eurowings Flight 1153 from Dubai to Stuttgart. The Airbus A320neo flying between the United Arab Emirates and Germany was forced into an unusual routing that added 11 hours and two stopovers to its original itinerary.
Eurowings Flight Waylaid By Middle East Airspace Precautions
On January 24, 2026, Flight EW1153 from 
Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Stuttgart Airport (STR) experienced a massive 11-hour delay due to geopolitical-rooted rerouting and airport restrictions. It first required a refueling stop at Thessaloniki Airport (SKG), Greece, as the Airbus A320neo lacked the range to complete the extended path in one leg. The time spent refueling in Greece subsequently delayed the flight’s arrival in Germany past a nighttime landing curfew at Stuttgart Airport. As a result, the plane was forced to divert again, landing in Nuremberg (NUE), which does not have the same restrictions.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and other aviation safety agencies have issued warnings that all commercial air traffic should avoid both Iran’s and Iraq’s airspace. Many airlines are now flying over Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia to bypass Iran, adding vital minutes to flight times and increasing fuel costs. Like Eurowings, other budget carriers such as Wizz Air have been forced to add refueling stops in Cyprus or Greece for long-haul flights that can no longer take direct paths through Iranian airspace. Major carriers, including Lufthansa, Air France—KLM, and British Airways, have suspended or significantly rerouted flights to and over the region.
Eric Schouten, director of security intelligence and aviation advisory firm Dyami, commented to Reuters on January 15th with these remarks:
“We recommend refraining from booking flights that transit the area at this time… Continuous monitoring of regional developments is recommended, as sudden airspace closures and flight disruptions are likely.”
The Beautiful Armada
The EASA issued a formal Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) on January 16, 2026. Iran also briefly closed its airspace for five hours on January 14, 2026, without prior warning, which is not in keeping with the safety standards of other aviation authorities around the world. The unpredictable and unreliable behavior by the government of Iran, combined with the increasingly hostile force posture by the United States, makes the area potentially dangerous to any air traffic.
These events are not unprecedented, with a similar airspace closure resulting after the 2024 conflict when Iran fired over 200 missiles in retaliation for Israeli strikes. There is also a history of concern over widespread ‘GPS Spoofing’ around Iran, which can cause airliners to crash due to incorrect navigation data.
In June 2025, civil air traffic was also forced to avoid the region when the US launched ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ and bombed Iranian nuclear program sites with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. The primary provocation that has triggered this new heightened tension in the area is the deployment of more US Air Force fighters to bases in the region, as well as the ‘Beautiful Armada’ under the orders of President Donald Trump.
Airlines Halt Middle East Flights As Trump Warns US ‘Armada’ Is Heading Toward Iran
Major carriers have pulled services to the region over the weekend.
The Fate of Flight 752
The Ukrainian Boeing 737-800 was incorrectly targeted and destroyed by an SA-15 surface-to-air (SAM) missile launched by Iranian troops in 2020. Minutes after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA), the 737 was struck by two Tor (SA-15) missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of 176 souls aboard the airplane and remains one of the most significant aviation disasters in world history due to misidentification by air defenses.
The shoot-down occurred just hours after Iran launched ballistic missiles at US bases in Iraq in retaliation for the strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. In the immediate aftermath, Iran initially attempted to blame pilot error or technical failures, but ultimately admitted that the passenger aircraft had been mistakenly identified as a cruise missile.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ban against flying over Iranian airspace for American carriers in 2020 that will last until at least October 2027. The tragedy led to the creation of the Safer Skies Initiative, led by Canada, which aims to improve global information-sharing so that civilian airlines are warned about conflict zones in real-time. On board the aircraft at the time that it was destroyed, there was a mix of international travelers, but the majority of the flyers were Canadian at the time.
