Two European airlines announced on Friday (23rd) that they will temporarily suspend flights to several cities in the Middle East region due to political unrest, avoiding flying over the airspace of countries like Iran.
According to reports from Agence France-Presse, Air France stated that they will suspend flights to Dubai due to the impact of geopolitical situations. Meanwhile, the Royal Dutch Airlines will halt flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai, Dammam, and Riyadh, and avoid flying over the airspace of countries such as Iraq, Iran, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
US President Trump confirmed on Thursday (22nd) that the US Navy fleet is heading towards the Persian Gulf, with Washington closely monitoring the developments in Iran.
During his return to Washington from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump, aboard Air Force One, responded to reporters’ questions, saying, “We are closely watching Iran, we are surveilling Iran. You know, we have sent a significant number of ships to the region in case. A large fleet is moving in that direction. We are waiting to see what happens next.”
Trump also stated that if the Iranian authorities continue to kill protesting civilians, they will face a more severe strike from the US than the “Midnight Hammer” operation last June.
He said, “It will make our attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities seem insignificant. Just an hour before this horrifying execution, they (Iranian authorities) canceled the execution of 837 people. They did announce openly that it was canceled, not postponed. This is undoubtedly a good sign. But our fleet is still in action. We are dispatching a substantial fleet towards the region, perhaps ultimately without the need to resort to force, let’s see how things unfold.”
In a statement to Agence France-Presse, Air France said, “Given the current situation in the Middle East, our company has decided to temporarily suspend flights to Dubai.”
The airline added that they are “continuously monitoring the geopolitical developments in the areas where their flights pass through and fly over” to ensure the highest level of safety for flights, and they will keep updating their flight schedule.