Which Airspaces Are Banned by the FAA?

Recent news of British Airways ‘pausing’ its Beijing route, Qantas rerouting its nonstop flight to London, and Virgin Atlantic withdrawing from China are direct or indirect outcomes of airspace unavailability. Off-limit airspaces mean the best direct routes, or great circle routes, are impossible and routes are consequently rendered uneconomic or impractical. Other than the well-known Russian airspace ban, several other airspaces have NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) bans in place.

There are three types of notices typically issued by the FAA. Ranging from a ‘complete prohibition to operate,’ to ‘prohibition below a certain altitude,’ and to ‘operate with caution,’ the FAA prohibitions and notices apply to U.S.-registered aircraft and airlines, as well as flights that carry the code of a U.S. carrier.

In practice, airlines avoid certain available airspaces out of precaution. The risk for civilian aircraft can be high and airlines are relying on themselves to assess the situation. For instance, the recent suspension of flights to Tel Aviv is an example of proactive suspension out of precaution.

Middle East

The FAA has issued no-fly orders for the Iranian, Syrian, and Yemeni airspaces, or the Tehran FIR (Flight Information Region). The agency has altitude prohibition for Iraqi airspace, banning operations under FL320 (32,000 feet).

Warnings for operating with caution have been issued for the Persian Gulf airspace below the Tehran FIR and the vicinity of the Damascus FIR of Syria. Airlines are advised to not fly close to those regions.

The flight path of United 82 from Newark to Delhi, circumvented Afgan and Iranian airspaces. (Photo: flightrader24)

The Afgan airspace is slightly more complicated, with one navigational route, the P500-G500, being available at FL300 and above while the rest of the country is available at FL320 and above. Looking at the routings used by U.S.-based carriers in the past several months, the Afgan airspace is avoided altogether despite being available at higher altitudes.

The flight path of British Airways 142 using P500-G500 over Afghanistan. (Photo: flightrader24)

The Middle Eastern airspace bans by the FAA have directly impacted flights between the U.S. and India, with increased flight times. Despite the relatively low number of U.S. flights in the region, many carry codes of U.S. carriers. Earlier this year, Emirates was fined by the DOT for using the Bangdad FIR, or Iraqi airspace while carrying the JetBlue code, and Virgin Atlantic has also been fined for using the same airspace when carrying the Delta code.

An Emirates Airbus A380 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Africa

Due to the ongoing civil war in the country, operation in Libyan airspace is prohibited. This does not have an impact on U.S. airlines, but flights between Europe and Southern Africa require rerouting.

For Somalia, operations are only permitted at FL260 and above. An exception is given to flights in and out of Dijoubti (HDAM/JID), presumably for chartered civilian flights serving the US military installations at the airport.

Europe

The restricted national airspaces in Europe are the result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Ukrainian airspace is currently unavailable to all commercial aircraft regardless of nationality, while Russian and Belarusian airspaces are unavailable for some countries, including the U.S., due to political reasons. The FAA has issued a NOTAM prohibiting the use of the entirety of Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian airspace.

U.S. carriers’ transpacific networks have been severely impacted by the inaccessibility of Russia. Specifically, flights from the East Coast to easterm Asia are impossible to fly non-stop, while flights from the West Coast, as well as flights to India, need to take significant detours to avoid Russian airspace, adding hours of journey time and cost.

An Air China 747-8i (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

For both the transpacific and Euro-Asia markets, there are ongoing debates around an ‘unleveled playing field’ as various Asian countries, including China, India, Vietnam, the UAE, and Qatar, still permit their airlines to fly over Russia and Belarus, creating an unfair advantage. The ban has contributed to several flight cancellations, while airlines such as Iberia did not resume flights to the Far East after the Russian invasion.

Outside of the abovementioned regions, the sole prohibition is on North Korea. A total prohibition on operation in the airspace is in place and has mainly resulted in minor detours on flights to East Asia.

Editor’s Note: All the NOTAMs can be updated regularly. EASA and other agencies also have guidelines and warnings that may differ from the FAA. 

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Anthony Bang An

Anthony is an aviation enthusiast who grew up around the world from St. Louis to Singapore, and now lives in Amsterdam. He loves long-haul flying and finds peace in the sound of engine cruising. He aspires to share his passion for the sky though writing and providing another angle on the stories.

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