- Özgür Töre
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned the US carriers from Iranian airspace following the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)'s shooting down of a US spy drone. Following the FAA’s announcement, major airlines including Qantas, KLM, British Airways, and Lufthansa announced that they will avoid flying in Iranian airspace.
"Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate" a statement from British Airways said in a statement.
On the other hand, Amir Mokri, Managing-Director of Iran Airports Company Siavash said that Iran's airspace has for several times been named as the safest sky of the region to the world by international aviation bodies. He said the country’s airspace is still safe and called on all airline companies to continue flights through Iranian skies with no concern as it was in the past.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has been and is committed to all its international undertakings, including protecting the safety of passing commercial flights via its airspace," he added.
The United States had confirmed that one of its reconnaissance planes was shot down by Iranian air defenses but denied that it intruded into Tehran’s airspace at the time.
Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted a map showing borders of two countries and where the drone is shot down. “Red dot is the impact point of the trespassing drone against the border of Iran; and the border of the United States,” Zarif said in his tweet.
