EU aviation agency issues Saudi airspace advisory after Houthi attacks

The European ​Union Aviation Safety Agency issued ‌an advisory ​to airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, according to a bulletin posted on its ‌website on Wednesday, following a recent increase in attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis.

The latest advisory on Saudi Arabia does not mention Wednesday's incident involving ‌a diverted flydubai airliner, and the EASA said it will ‌continue to monitor the situation to assess whether there is an increase or decrease in risk for EU airlines in the country. The EASA, in a ⁠separate bulletin, ​recommended flights ⁠not operate within the airspace of Jordan at all altitudes and flight levels, a ⁠change from a previous advisory to exercise caution.

The agency also extended until ​November 16 its warning to airlines to avoid the airspace ⁠over Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, and also over the territorial Gulf waters of ⁠Bahrain, ​Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, revising earlier bulletins that recommended avoiding those countries' entire airspace. The seven-month-old conflict ⁠in the Middle East, sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Iran, ⁠has ⁠seen Tehran strike US allies in the Gulf with drones and missiles while Yemen's Houthis have targeted Saudi ‌interests.