The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently loosened imposed restrictions on US aircraft flying over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in order to allow flights into and out of certain airports in the region.
The FAA’s action came shortly after several U.S.-based cargo airlines requested exemptions from the restrictions, which were imposed on Jan. 8 after Iran launched a missile attack on US assets in Iraq in retaliation for the US killing Iran’s top military commander.
The agency’s latest Notice to Airmen allows flights to and from airports in Doha, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Muscat as long as operators are on a published instrument procedure or under the direction of air traffic control and minimise overwater flight to the greatest extent possible. Flights are still prohibited from entering the Tehran Flight Information Region, which covers the airspace over Iran and extends from southern Iran part way into the airspace over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Several operators such as FedEx, Polar Air Cargo, Omni Air International, Kalitta Air, Southern Air and Atlas Air had petitioned the FAA for exemptions from the original restrictions so they could continue flying into the region.
Source : Various Agencies