Washington DC, June 21: The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has on Thursday issued an emergency order prohibiting American operators from flying aircraft in an overwater region of Iran-controlled airspace over the Hormuz Strait and Gulf of Oman in the midst of heightened tensions in the Middle East after oil tankers attacks.
According to Reuters news reports, the development has come hours after the United Airlines halted its flights between the Indian financial capital of Mumbai and New Jersey’s Newark airport, which fly through the Iranian airspace, following some safety review after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed yesterday they shot down a US spy drone.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued Thursday an emergency order prohibiting US air carriers from flying in an over water area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman due to heightened tensions, Reuters reported.
“There were numerous civil aviation aircraft operating in the area at the time of the intercept”, FAA said, cited by Reuters.
FAA further said the closet civil aircraft, according to plane tracking applications, was operating within 45 nautical miles of a US Global Hawk drone when Iran’s surface-to-air missile shot down it.
The agency further said it remained highly concerned about the rising of tension and military activity, as well as, Tehran’s willingness to use its long-range missiles in foreign airspace with no or little warning.
A United Airlines spokesperson said, “We continue to explore all our options and remain in close contact with relevant government authorities in order to provide our customers with the most efficient travel experience under these circumstances.”
Two other planes, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, have on Thursday said they didn’t fly over Iranian airspace. Japanese carriers Japan Airlines Co Ltd and ANA Holdings Inc also said they did not fly over the area.