At least two European airlines suspended flights to cities in the Middle East on Friday, January 23, with Air France saying it will temporarily stop service to Dubai due to the geopolitical situation.
Dutch airline KLM also halted flights until further notice to cities in the Middle East and would not fly through the airspace of several countries in the region, including Iraq and Iran, according to the Netherlands’ state broadcaster.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a US “armada” was heading toward the Gulf and that Washington was watching Iran closely, even after downplaying the prospect of imminent military action and saying Tehran appeared interested in talks.
“Due to the current situation in the Middle East, the company has decided to temporarily suspend its service to Dubai,” France’s national carrier said in a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The airline added that it was “constantly monitoring the evolution of the geopolitical situation in the territories served and overflown by its aircraft” to ensure “the highest level of safety and security” for its flights. “Air France is monitoring the situation in real time and will provide further updates on its flight schedule,” the French airline said.
KLM told Dutch public broadcaster NOS on Friday that it had suspended flights until further notice to Tel Aviv, Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh and would not fly through the airspace of Iraq, Iran, Israel and several countries in the Gulf.
The airline did not disclose the reason for the suspensions and said it was in touch with Dutch authorities, according to NOS.
Trump has repeatedly threatened US strikes on Iran over the crackdown on the protest movement that recently erupted across the Islamic republic. The prospect of military action appeared to recede last week after the White House said Tehran had halted planned executions of demonstrators, but Trump on Thursday confirmed continuing military preparations.
“You know we have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case (…) We have a big force going toward Iran,” he said.
Fonte: Le Monde
