Safe Airspace – Conflict Zone and Risk Database

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10 Jan

Risk summary updated: EASA has issued a new CZIB recommending against flights in Western Russia (anywhere west of 60 deg E) due to the threat of anti-aircraft fire. There is a high-danger of misidentification by air defence systems targeting Ukrainian drones and missiles. This follows the shoot down of a passenger jet at URMG/Grozny on Dec 25.

02 Oct

Risk summary updated: Iran launched a series of missiles at Israel in Oct 2024. Most airlines now avoiding LLBG/Tel Aviv. EASA is recommending against flights to Israel.

20 Sep

Risk summary updated: Ceasefire agreed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, following military conflict in the border zone. Azerbaijan has reopened the border airspace, but most operators are still actively avoiding the region, and routing north via Georgian airspace (UGGG/Tbilisi FIR) instead.

20 Sep

28 Feb

Country summary updated to reflect flight bans issued by several countries due to risk from military conflict.

17 Feb

Country summary updated: Added info on spillover risks from the conflict in Ukraine including Russian drone and missile strikes.

28 Feb

Country summary updated to reflect airspace warnings issued by several countries due to risk from military conflict in Ukraine.

28 Apr

Updated summary for Albania.

The UK FCO reports that violence in Tripoli has largely subsided today, following a ceasefire agreed yesterday. However, the situation remains volatile. The Libyan CAA has issued a Notam indicating that operations at HLLM/Tripoli Mitiga Airport are expected to resume later today. Earlier this week, several aircraft were repositioned to HLMS/Misrata as a precaution. We’ve also received a local report confirming that Tripoli controllers have returned to the ACC.Despite signs of improvement, we continue to advise avoiding Libyan airspace (HLLL/Tripoli FIR) entirely. For a full briefing on current airspace warnings, visit safeairspace.net.

Heavy gunfire and explosions were reported in Tripoli on May 12. An emergency lockdown is in place. This appears to be in response to the death of a high-profile militant. The situation is unpredictable - as a result the airport authority at HLLM/Tripoli has confirmed evacuation plans have been activated including the transfer of aircraft to HLMS/Misrata. The US Embassy there has issued a new alert reminding US citizens not to travel there. Several states maintain active airspace warnings for Libya - including a ban on US operators over almost all Libyan airspace. See SafeAirspace.net for more info.

A ceasefire between India and Pakistan, announced on May 10, appears to be holding despite mutual accusations of violations. We continue to advise caution, particularly over the Kashmir region and along the shared border where air defense activity could resume with little warning if hostilities were to restart. Flight tracking indicates that nearly all operators are still avoiding the area, opting instead to reroute south via the Gulf of Oman and the UAE. While Pakistan has reopened all previously closed airways, both countries continue to prohibit each other's aircraft from entering their respective airspace.

A section of airspace in Southern Russia has been closed at all levels from 0600 - 1600z on May 13 (URRV Notam N6076/25 refers). There is credible concern that this may be associated with the launch of ballistic missiles from a facility located near the town of Kasputin Yar. A similar ban was in place in November ahead of a missile strike against Ukraine. This follows a warning issued by the US Embassy on May 9 predicting a significant airstrike in the coming days. Several states (including the US and Canada) maintain active airspace warnings for Russian airspace, especially near the Ukrainian border - see safeairspace.net for more info.

The Soviet-era spacecraft Kosmos 482 launched in 1972 sadly never made it to Venus. It’s headed back to Earth some time around May 10, although there’s still a lot of uncertainty about exactly when and where it will enter the atmosphere. Somewhere in the Atlantic off the coast of North Africa looks most likely, but its trajectory could bring it closer to Europe as well, and operators are being warned about possible debris. We should know more on May 9, and Eurocontrol will publish any relevant Notams on the NOP if required.

No new cross-border attacks have been reported since last night’s airstrikes in northern Pakistan. In India, VIAR/Amritsar, VISR/Srinagar and VICG/Chandigarh airports remain closed to civil flights until May 10 as a precaution. In Pakistan, flights have now resumed at all airports that were temporarily closed last night, including OPLA/Lahore and OPIS/Islamabad. Despite some media claims, Pakistan has not closed its entire airspace. Instead, several airways in the northern OPLR/Lahore FIR remain unavailable, although alternate routings are still possible. These restrictions are listed in Pakistan CAA Notams, many of which are not mirrored on the FAA’s site, so it’s best to check the source directly for the latest updates. However, all the major airlines are now avoiding Pakistan’s airspace altogether, with east-west traffic diverting south via the Gulf of Oman and UAE. Given the uncertainty and potential for rapid escalation, this seems a sensible choice. If the conflict continues, there is a chance that Pakistan could impose a full airspace closure, as they did from Feb to Aug 2019 under similar circumstances.

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 on 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).

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