Safe Airspace – Conflict Zone and Risk Database

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21 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

21 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

21 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

21 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

21 Oct

Risk summary updated: GPS spoofing reported across the Mediterranean region.

19 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

18 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

14 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

14 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

11 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

09 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

09 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

09 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

09 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

09 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

07 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

07 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

05 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

01 Oct

Risk summary updated: Latest developments, current airspace restrictions, operational risks.

11 Jul

Risk summary updated: North Korea is threatening to actively shoot down reconnaissance aircraft in their airspace. This may put civil aviation at higher risk of mistaken identity in or near the ZKKP/Pyongyang FIR boundary.

08 Feb

The security situation in Papua remains poor. While there are no active airspace warnings for Indonesian Papua or neighbouring Papua New Guinea, the region has a recent history of armed groups targeting either low flying aircraft or airports themselves.

04 Oct

Risk summary updated: North Korea fired a ballistic missile directly over Japan - the first to incur on Japanese airspace since 2017. Risk to aircraft from debris from missile re-entries striking aircraft overflying the oceanic part of the ZKKP/Pyongyang FIR over the Sea of Japan.

01 Jan

We’ve had another member report on Saudi airspace: flights from Egypt entering at SIKNO may be rerouted south via EVANO DCT MUVOL. OEGS/Gassim can fill up quickly and may reject diversions, so don’t use it as your sole alternate (I use OEMA/Madinah). Flights over OERK/Riyadh VOR may be rerouted north or south. Flights from OEDF/Dammam over OERK are usually sent via Gassim VOR before rejoining their route, adding 15-30 mins of fuel. Flights over OEYN/Yanbu VOR may be rerouted up to 50 NM east or west. OEYN/Yanbu is reportedly on indefinite hold and is not available as an alternate, despite no Notam.

Kuwait has reopened to overflights, bringing back the central routing option between Europe and the Middle East via Turkey-Iraq-Kuwait-Bahrain-Qatar-UAE. Flights can now cross the OKAC/Kuwait FIR between the OBBB/Bahrain and ORBB/Baghdad FIRs at FL280 or above. This route won’t be available to everyone, as EASA and several European countries advise against or prohibit overflights of Iraq. But for those allowed to use Iraqi airspace, this central routing offers an alternative to going through Saudi airspace where recent Houthi attacks have increased risks to aviation.

GPS Interference Update, Oct 19: GPS interference remains active across the usual hotspots - the SE Med, Gulf/Red Sea, Russia, India-Pakistan border and Myanmar. There was also some new jamming near Sao Paulo, plus a brief but intense spike in South Korea. The US is also seeing ongoing GPS interference testing, potentially affecting up to 100 flights a day. Smaller hotspots near Bogota, Mexico City, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and Guangzhou (sometimes Hong Kong) remain active from time to time. Thanks to GPSwise for this update!

Fighting between Saudi Arabia and Houthi in Yemen continues to escalate. On Oct 16, Saudi forces reported intercepting a ballistic missile headed for Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. Two missiles also struck OYAA/Aden airport on Oct 16, reportedly targeting a nearby military facility. No casualties were reported, but a departing passenger aircraft was evacuated after the missiles landed around 500m away. Several states have airspace warnings in place for both Saudi Arabia and Yemen - at safeairspace.net we recommend avoiding both countries entirely.

The haze across Singapore has worsened over the past few days and is expected to remain an issue for at least another week. A reminder that Seletar is a VFR-only airport, and pilots must maintain VMC throughout the visual approach. Even crews based at Seletar, who fly these approaches regularly, treat visual approaches conservatively when conditions are marginal. Those unfamiliar with the airport should be particularly cautious. Don't report the runway in sight until you can positively identify it, or be tempted to descend early to try and find it. If you can't maintain VMC or positively identify the runway, discontinue the approach and consider diverting to Changi.

The Houthis are escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia and have specifically named airports as potential targets. A building in Dhahran was hit by a missile early on Oct 13, and Saudi forces reported intercepting missiles and drones aimed at Riyadh, Al-Kharj and Haradh. OERK/Riyadh remains closed as a precaution until at least 2100Z on Oct 17, following the fatal attack on Oct 10. The OEJD/Jeddah FIR is technically open, but several countries have updated their airspace warnings in response to recent events. See our latest risk briefing for more info.

The situation in Saudi Arabia remains tense. OERK/Riyadh is now closed until October 17 (Notam A3604/26), following the series of Houthi attacks last week and over the weekend. Yesterday, OEDF/ Dammam, in the far north-east, was also hit. A new FAA security Notam (KICZ A0056/26) was issued Sunday evening for the Jeddah FIR, which contains no prohibition for US operators, but an "exercise caution" warning. SafeAirspace remains at Level 1 for the entirety of Saudi airspace, and our briefing from Friday remains valid.

At least one missile, attributed to the Houthis, struck the passenger terminal complex on Oct 10, causing mass casualties - a serious escalation against Saudi aviation interests. The airport is currently closed until at least 2100z Oct 11. A projectile was also reported near OEDF/Dammam on the same day. This follows weeks of sustained Houthi attacks against civilian and oil infrastructure, including airports. Flight tracking shows the OEJD/Jeddah FIR is still receiving heavy demand for overflights despite rapidly increasing risk from military activity. This includes drones, missiles and air defense activations. Further strikes are likely. See safeairspace.net for a full briefing, where we have recently increased our warning for Saudi Arabia to Level 1 - Do Not Fly.

A few minutes ago, Canada issued a "Do not enter" recommendation for the OEJD/Jeddah FIR. This is the first blanket recommendation from an aviation authority to avoid Saudi airspace entirely. The security situation has escalated steadily each day for the past several weeks. The regular attacks on OERK/Riyadh with long-range ballistic missiles are the clearest indication of the level of threat now within the Saudi FIR. We ask all members with input on the situation to complete the active ALL CALL via the link below.

The security situation continues to deteriorate, with further attacks on Saudi airports on Oct 6-7. OERK/Riyadh was hit on Oct 7, with one person killed, eight injured and damage reported at the airport. OEAB/Abha was also targeted, with two people killed and 28 injured. There have also been attacks at OEGN/Jazan and OENG/Najran in recent days. The attacks show the growing threat to airports themselves, but also the increasing risk in the airspace - Saudi is still seeing a lot of overflight traffic, with missiles, drones and increased air-defence activity adding to the risk. Check safeairspace.net for more info.

GPS Interference Update, Oct 5: GPS interference remains active across the usual hotspots, including the SE Med, the Gulf/Red Sea and Persian Gulf, Russia, the India-Pakistan border and Myanmar. The main change is Pakistan, where jamming has spread well beyond the Indian border and is now affecting Karachi and central parts of the country. GPSwise identified around 8 percent of flights in the OPKR/Karachi FIR as affected by jamming over the past 14 days. Smaller hotspots around Bogota, Mexico City, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi and Guangzhou, occasionally extending into Hong Kong, also remain active.

The airport closed for under an hour on Oct 3 while NATO jets responded to an unidentified object approaching Lithuanian airspace from Belarus. The alert was later lifted with no confirmed threat and authorities are still looking into the cause. It was the second air defence closure in three weeks, following one on Sep 13 that ended up being a flock of birds. Separately, a drone was shot down well west of Vilnius on Sep 15. Spillover risks from the conflict in Ukraine remain a persistent threat throughout the Eastern Baltic region. See safeairspace.net for more info.

Kuwait has extended its airspace restrictions until at least Nov 2. Overflights through the OKAC/Kuwait FIR are still not permitted - only approved flights going to/from OKKK/Kuwait airport are allowed. While neighbouring countries have all reopened to overflights in some form, Kuwait is still the missing piece in the middle, which means that Europe-Middle East flights on this central routing still can’t return just yet. The same routing options remain as before: head south via Egypt/Saudi, or north via the Caucasus/Afghanistan.

The security situation in Saudi Arabia has escalated quickly in recent weeks, with Houthi drone and missile attacks reaching further into the country, including Riyadh. Air defence activity has already caused disruption at short notice, with aircraft being rerouted and flights to OEJN/Jeddah facing significant delays and diversions. Further disruption including ESCAT activation, airport closures and diversions, could happen with little warning. A full Risk Warning PDF (8 pages, 2Mb) is now available in your Members Dashboard - including the latest airspace warnings and analysis of the current situation.

Member reports suggest the GPS interference along R220 is back and getting worse, with several crews recently reporting jamming in the area between NUZAN and NRKEY, particularly towards NUZAN. The FAA’s Notam is still active, cautioning pilots about multiple GPS interference events. Most of them are short in duration and the source remains unknown. ATC wants you to report any interference to them, and take a look at our blog post about these GPS issues along North Pacific routes for more info.

There's a trap for business aviation crews at Haneda when taxiing to the northern apron after landing on Runway 34L. If you vacate via L13, pay close attention to the turn onto Taxiway L. The L13/L14/L15 and B intersection is a known hotspot and surprisingly easy to get wrong. ATC will generally route you towards B7 to hold short of Runway 04/22. With JCAB now keeping a close eye on pilot deviations at Haneda, this is one to be extra careful with. Check out our latest blog for more on the JCAB penalty system.

On Sep 24 Greek air defences in Saudi Arabia shot down a ballistic missile and drone near Yanbu, close to major oil facilities north of Jeddah on the Red Sea coast - the second time this has happened in the past month. Airspace risk in the OEJD/Jeddah FIR has continued to rise following a renewed Houthi offensive in southern Yemen. The air defence system used can reach well above normal cruising levels. The primary risk remains short-notice airspace disruptions, with secondary risks of misidentification and cross-fire. See safeairspace.net for more info.

GPS Interference Update, Sep 21: interference remains active across the usual hotspots - the SE Med, the Gulf/Red Sea and Persian Gulf, Russia, the India-Pakistan border and Myanmar. Several short-lived interference areas appeared last week, including the Taiwan Strait, north of Bengaluru, and Sinaloa in Mexico. Jamming was also observed around Dhaka, Hong Kong, Karachi, parts of Southeast Asia, Bogota and Mexico City. This update is from GPSwise, who provide a free spoofing map as well as more complex fleet/API/integrated options.

Houthis in Yemen fired a ballistic missile towards Riyadh early on Sep 19 - the first attack on the capital since the recent escalation began in July. Saudi Arabia says it was intercepted, but a fire was later reported at a fuel depot near OERK/Riyadh where ops were temporarily affected. This follows a significant Houthi offensive in Yemen in recent weeks which has increased the risk of short-notice disruptions in the OEJD/Jeddah FIR. This includes missile and drone strikes along with associated air defence activity and possible ESCAT procedures.

Houthi rebels are claiming to have shot down a Saudi Air Force F-15 on Sep 16 using a surface-to-air missile. This occurred over Marib, approx 80nm east of OYSN/Sanaa. The incident is currently unconfirmed as Saudi Arabia hasn’t commented yet. The Houthi have carried out a major offensive on Yemen’s Red Sea coast in the past two weeks which has triggered a large number of retaliatory air strikes. While civil aviation isn’t a specific target, the risk of misidentification in the OYSC/Sanaa FIR is increasing. Several states maintain active airspace warnings for Yemen, including a ban on US operators at all levels while overflying land. See safeairspace.net for a full briefing.

Member report from the short-notice disruptions in Saudi airspace last Friday Sep 11. The flight was passing through the OEJD/Jeddah FIR on Y511 between 1730-1930Z. Shortly after news of a Houthi attack on Saudi oil facilities, ATC vectored the aircraft to remain east of OEMA/Madinah, advising this was due to “military activity,” and handled the situation well. Flights bound for OEJN/Jeddah were initially told to expect a 30-min delay, but this later stretched to several hours, with several diversions reported. Houthi strikes in southern and western Saudi Arabia are expected to continue.

The FAA has extended its warnings across parts of the eastern Eastern Pacific, covering overwater areas of the MMFR/Mexico, MHTG/Central America, MPZL/Panama, SKED/Bogota and SEFG/Guayaquil FIRs, as well as MMFO/Mazatlan Oceanic and part of the ‘NO FIR’ area. The warnings are for ongoing military activity and GPS interference. A background note says US military aircraft may carry out short-notice counter-narcotic operations at low levels, sometimes without transponders. GPS interference can also continue to affect aircraft after leaving the area. The warnings are now valid until Mar 13, 2027.

The FAA has published a new Safety Alert (SAFO) following recent runway incursions. Aircraft landing on 24R are being told to hold short of 24L, but some have rolled through the holding position just 300 feet away. The problem seems to be the acute angle of taxiways V, W and Y. They look like high speed turnoffs but aren’t. They also block your view of traffic on the parallel runway. The alert urges operators to enter these taxiways at a safe and manageable speed. The same risk is also reported at several other major US airports.

Ukraine is carrying out more drone strikes deeper inside Russia, and the attacks are causing temporary airspace restrictions and airport closures - including around Moscow. The Ukrainian President has warned on Sep 1 that Russian airspace is now becoming "completely unsafe" for civil aviation, although he says civilian aircraft are not being targeted. This increases the risk of misidentification by air defence systems. Several states maintain active airspace warnings for Russian airspace - see safeairspace.net for a full briefing.

Member report: On a recent trip, the lav cart was servicing our Gulfstream G200. We had requested a drain, and a seven liter top-up. While doing paperwork in the cabin we noticed the toilet suddenly erupting with blue juice - “like the Trevi Fountain, but grosser.” We ran outside and told the man to shut it off, but by that point the cabin carpet was flooded halfway up to the cockpit. When asked how much blue juice had been pumped, the response was he didn’t know as the meter on the truck was ‘broken’. Two weeks later during maintenance we discovered the toilet assembly had multiple cracks - it literally exploded the toilet. It’s an unfortunate reminder not to leave ground staff unattended while they carry out servicing.

Following a recent easing in activity in parts of the region, EASA has updated its CZIB guidance. Operators should continue to avoid the airspace of Iran and Iraq at all levels. Lebanon should also be avoided, except for flights to or from OLBA/Beirut that approach from or depart over the sea. In Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE, avoid airspace over the waters of the Persian Gulf, except where needed for arrivals/departures from airports within the affected FIRs. Avoid the Gulf of Oman within OOMM/Muscat FIR west of 58°E and exercise caution over land in the affected Gulf FIRs. Exercise caution in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and remain ready for short notice airspace restrictions.

Soldiers in the capital Niamey carried out a military mutiny over the weekend. Gunfire and explosions were reported at DRRN/Niamey, which houses a military airbase. It was the third time the facility has been attacked this year. Local security forces were able to end the mutiny by Sunday. Niger’s CAA has said the airport is open and operating normally. The country has a recent history of instability - the US Dept. of State continues to advise against all travel there due to unrest among other security concerns.

Greek air defences present in Saudi Arabia used Patriot missiles to destroy three drones on Aug 27. This occurred in the Yanbu area, near major oil facilities north of Jeddah on the Red Sea coast. No disruptions were reported at OEYN/Yanbu itself. While civil aviation was not a specific target, it’s a reminder that persistent threats continue to be present in the OEJD/Jeddah FIR. The system used is capable of reaching targets well above normal cruising levels. See safeairspace.net for a full risk briefing.

GPS spoofing continues to affect both WIHH/Jakarta Halim and WIII/Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, with the FAA producing a report on its findings following an interference event on Aug 17. According to GPSwise, this particular event lasted over 4 hours and affected around 70 aircraft. Worth noting: with invalid GPS data, Jakarta Halim effectively becomes a VFR-only airport, as both the ILS and VOR approaches require RNP for the initial approach segment. Let us know if you've had problems - report@ops.group.

Bulgarian security services have disabled a powerful GPS jammer near LBSF/Sofia. Aircraft reportedly experienced almost continuous interference for at least three days prior, with crews switching to conventional ground-based nav instead. The airport stayed open with no reported delays or issues. Authorities say the jammer was mounted on an SUV and may have been used for over a year - they’re still investigating and say other similar devices may also be in use. There’s definitely something strange still going on over Bulgaria at the moment - some flights are getting spoofed to as far away as Lima in Peru!

We’ve updated our article with the latest on Middle East airspace, routings and risks. Kuwait is still closed to overflights, meaning the central route is still not a goer. Most traffic is still routing either north via the Caucasus/Afghan, or south via Egypt/Saudi/Oman. Recent spillover includes missiles near the UAE, Houthi attacks in southern Saudi and Israeli strikes in Syria - but no new airspace closures or major routing changes. Three southern Saudi airports remain closed. GPS jamming and spoofing remain widespread, with reports of ATC congestion over Saudi Arabia.

It has been an especially active month for missile tests. Unannounced launches have been reported three times in two weeks, the latest on Aug 20 when at least ten short range ballistic missiles were fired eastwards toward the Sea of Japan. This appears to have coincided with joint military exercises between the US and South Korea, which North Korea perceives as an act of aggression. Aircraft operating on open airways near the ZKKP/Pyongyang FIR may be at increased risk of falling debris. See safeairspace.net for more info.

Anti-aviation group Stay Grounded is planning a series of protests and events across Europe in Sep and Oct. The main date to watch is Sep 13, when groups in several countries are expected to protest against night flights. Other events are planned in London (Sep 9), Barcelona (Sep 19), Leipzig and Madrid (Sep, dates TBC), Zurich and Geneva (Sep/Oct, dates TBC), Budapest (Oct 8), and Antwerp (Oct 23-25). No news yet on exactly what’s planned, but general advice when these things are planned is to do drop-and-go’s, or if you have to stay then park away from perimeter fences or use a hangar.

GPS Interference Update, August: Jakarta saw a spike in GPS spoofing on Aug 17, with almost 70 aircraft affected in a 4-hour window - it's had occasional interference over the last two weeks, but nothing on this scale. Otherwise, the usual hotspots (SE Med, the Gulf including Red Sea and Persian Gulf, in and around Russia, the India-Pakistan border, Myanmar) continue to affect hundreds of flights daily. Other locations with occasional jamming include Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, and South Korea around Seoul and further south around Jeonju. This update is from GPSwise, who still provide a free spoofing map, as well as more complex fleet/API/integrated options.

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