Several European airlines, including Wizz Air, Lufthansa and British Airways, have been avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace as tensions rise in the Middle East, according to flight tracking data.
On Thursday, carriers opted to reroute flights over Afghanistan and parts of Central Asia to reduce potential security risks linked to the situation in Iran.
Iran briefly closed its airspace on Wednesday for almost five hours amid concerns about possible military action involving the United States. Although the airspace later reopened, many airlines continued to use longer alternative routes.
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said airlines such as Singapore Airlines and TUI also chose to bypass the area, cancelling, delaying or rerouting flights instead.
In recent years, many Western airlines have increasingly adjusted flight paths in the region.
Despite ongoing security concerns, routes over Afghanistan have been used more frequently as airlines seek to avoid other conflict zones across the Middle East.
