Safe Airspace – Conflict Zone and Risk Database

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07 May

Risk summary updated: Major terrorist attack against civilians in Kashmir. Diplomatic response may escalate known risks to civil aircraft operating over this disputed region..

06 May

Risk summary updated: OYSN/Sanaa Airport closed due to damage from Israeli airstrikes in Dec 2024 and May 2025.

04 Feb

Risk summary updated: Iran is now Level 2 - Danger Exists. Situation has largely returned to normal following Oct 2024 rocket attacks between Iran and Israel, but danger remains.

10 Dec

Risk summary updated: All Syrian airspace temporarily closed following the rebel take-over of the country.

30 Nov

Risk summary updated: Ceasefire between Hezbollah hand Israel. Most foreign airlines still avoiding OLBA/Beirut. EASA recommending not to operate within the airspace of Lebanon at all flight levels.

10 Nov

Risk summary updated: Red Sea Conflict Zone highlighted by missile incident on Nov 3.

01 Aug

Risk summary updated: Potential for short-notice airspace closure early August, due to Iranian strikes on Israel. Missiles and drones may transit airspace.

01 Aug

Risk summary updated: Potential for short-notice airspace closure early August, due to Iranian strikes on Israel. Missiles and drones may transit airspace.

16 May

Reports of GPS spoofing around Seoul in the north of the country, close to the border with North Korea.

11 Jan

Risk summary updated: Armed group shot down a military helicopter in the northern state of Kachin, which borders China. Also a report of GPS jamming on airway A599 that connects with Chinese airspace.

22 Nov

Risk summary updated: GPS Spoofing being encountered over the Black Sea in Turkish airspace.

07 Nov

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

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.

25 Oct

Risk summary updated: No reported drone or missile strikes from Yemen since a ceasefire was agreed in April 2022, but this has not been extended as of Oct 2022, and there are concerns that the conflict may start up again soon.

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

Deteriorating situation tonight between India and Pakistan. India launched airstrikes on several sites in Pakistan, and Pakistan’s military has said it has shot down five Indian aircraft and captured some soldiers.

News media is reporting that Pakistan has closed its airspace for 48 hours (no announcement from India yet). There’s no such clear-cut announcement on the Pakistan Notams (the OPKR/Karachi and OPLR/Lahor FIR codes). They did issue a flurry of Notams tonight, some of which have been cancelled already, but several remain in place advising of closed airways - mostly in the north of the country near to where the cross-border fighting took place.

Either way, all the major airlines are now avoiding Pakistan’s airspace entirely, and pretty much all east-west traffic is now routing via the Gulf of Oman and the UAE instead.

Tonight’s events come after two weeks of deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two countries following a terrorist attack against civilians in India-administered Kashmir on April 22 by a militant group from Pakistan. If the current conflict escalates, one concern is that Pakistan might implement wider airspace closures to overflights similar to what they did in Feb 2019 under similar circumstances.

Keep an eye on the Pakistan CAA Notams page. This has all the latest Notams on it, several of which do not appear on the FAA Notam site.

There was an Israeli airstrike on OYSN/Sanaa airport today, May 6, in response to a missile attack on LLBG/Tel Aviv on May 4. There’s been no official announcement, but damage to the airport looks to be severe. There have been no commercial flights taking place here since previous Israeli airstrikes back in Dec 2024, which caused extensive damage to the control tower and terminal buildings. Yemen remains an active conflict zone, and the vast majority of Yemeni airspace (OYSC/Sanaa FIR) should be avoided.

A ballistic missile fired by the Houthis hit near LLBG/Tel Aviv yesterday, close to Terminal 3. Flights were briefly suspended, some international airlines canceled operations, but the airport reopened about an hour later and things are mostly back to normal. There were no fatalities, though several people were treated for minor injuries. The Houthis claimed responsibility and warned airlines to avoid the area. This was their fourth missile aimed at Israel in 48 hours, though the others were intercepted. The Israeli government has promised a response, and the situation in the region remains tense, so it’s a good idea to monitor updates if you have upcoming operations in or out of LLBG/Tel Aviv.

Member report: After clearing customs and immigration at MMSD, a crew member was called into the AFAC office despite all paperwork being completed. Officials requested they transport a bag containing prescription medication back to the US. The crew member immediately refused. The situation appeared staged, possibly as an integrity test or trap. Crews should be aware that accepting unknown items could lead to serious consequences, including criminal charges or aircraft seizure. Always politely decline, request written confirmation and avoid handling anything you have not personally verified.

Al-Shabaab carried out another mortar attack on a target inside the airport complex on April 6. No damage to airport infrastructure was reported, but it was the third attack in as many months. These have renewed concerns for the safety of civil aircraft there. The Somali Government has previously warned militant groups may actively target aviation interests. This is an important consideration for overflights using the Class A airspace above in the event of an unplanned landing. Safeairspace.net has more info.

China is carrying out a new wave of joint military drills in the waters surrounding Taiwan. This appears to be a response to recent political events. Large numbers of aircraft have reportedly been operating inside Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the past 24 hours - there have been no reports of incursions in domestic airspace. Increased military activity can put civil aircraft at extra risk - it’s a timely reminder to review the ADIZ procedures for Taiwanese airspace (attached).

Member Report: Large balloons above Sao Paulo are pretty common, especially around this time of year. There’s a group of artists in the area who create and launch them, some are several meters wide. The launches, which aren’t legal, seem to happen mainly on Sundays during Lent, and balloons have been spotted as high as FL150. Crews have even had to take evasive action at times, but SBGR ATC seems indifferent to PIREPs since they can’t really track or control the balloons. Despite the obvious risk, there are no Notams or ATIS warnings about them. There’s even been one report of an engine ingestion.

The US and South Korea are carrying out their annual joint military exercise Freedom Shield from March 10-21. North Korea perceives this as a threat, and historically responds with unannounced missile tests - the latest reported on March 10 with several landing in the sea of Japan. GPS interference is also likely - the RKRR/Incheon FIR has a long standing warning for this, which can affect ops at Seoul airports RKSS and RKSI and extend into the Yellow Sea. See safeairspace.net for a full briefing on known risks.

A crew reports GPS interference (possible spoofing) on Feb 5 in Eastern DRC. The event occurred westbound on airway UM216 near position OVPAP - 5nm southeast of Goma, and continued for approx 200nm. Fighting in the area has rapidly escalated in recent weeks - including an ongoing rebel offensive in Goma itself. Any loss of navigation should be taken seriously at the moment due to a high risk of misidentification. Both the UK and Canada advise against overflights below FL250 and FL260 respectively due to potential for anti-aircraft fire. Safeairspace.net has more.

Rebel forces have now entered Goma - the capital of North Kivu Province (Eastern DRC). Heavy gunfire is being reported in the city. They have declared that FZNA/Goma and its airspace are now closed - no new Notams have been published yet. The UK is the only state with an active airspace warning for this region. It advises operators not to enter the airspace along the border between Congo DRC and Rwanda near FZNA/Goma airport below 25,000ft AGL, due to the potential risk from anti-aircraft fire. Safeairspace.net has a full briefing.

An Embraer passenger jet was likely struck by an air defense system while on approach to URMG/Grozny (Southern Russia) on Dec 25. It later diverted and crash landed in Kazakhstan after sustaining heavy damage. This event occurred during Ukrainian drone strikes in the area, and strongly suggests a case of mis-identification. The majority of western operators remain subject to a reciprocal entry ban from Russian airspace. For those still using it, several airspace warnings exist for the URRV/Rostov FIR where the incident occurred. This is due to significant spill-over risks to civil aviation from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. An investigation into the incident is underway.

An OPSGROUP member reports further GPS interference (likely spoofing) in the north of the VYYF/Yangon FIR on Dec 20. The event occurred approx. 100nm east of APAGO on the B465 airway at FL430. Map shift observed on auxiliary ipad before aircraft GPS systems failed. This was followed by the activation of a GPWS Pull Up warning for a full five minutes. All systems returned to normal by APAGO. We’ve had a number of similar reports from this region in recent months. Look out for Myanmar overflights between China and Bangladesh.

A US military jet was shot down over the Red Sea in a friendly fire incident on December 22. It was apparently a case of mistaken identity by a naval ship being used to target multiple Houthi drones in the area. This follows a missile intercept incident observed at close proximity by a transiting aircraft near Jeddah on November 3. The Red Sea has been an active conflict zone for the past 12 months, and these events highlight ongoing risks to civil aviation through this busy corridor. See the Special Briefing available in your member’s dashboard for more info (Special Briefings, Red Sea Conflict Zone).

Nuisance drones continue to be sighted over New York and New Jersey. The FAA has reported that KSWF/Stewart was closed for an hour on Dec 13 after several infringed its airspace. It’s still not clear who is responsible, and an active FBI investigation continues. So far, impact to civil air traffic has been minimal. The FAA requires approval for any drone to be operated in controlled airspace, or above 400’ AGL in Class G. If you spot one breaking these rules, report it to ATC and via the attached website.

Russia carried out a large-scale missile and drone attack on targets in Ukraine on Dec 13. This caused some alarm, and air defence systems were put on high alert near Poland’s southeastern border. Military jets were also scrambled to the area, and there are conflicting reports of possible airspace infringements. Spill-over risks from the conflict continue to be present in Polish airspace where there are no active warnings - we continue to advise caution if operating near its border with the conflict zone in Ukraine.

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