Many international airlines diverted some of their planes Wednesday amid concerns over potential U.S. strikes on Syria. In a rare move, Europe’s air traffic control agency, Eurocontrol, issued a rapid alert notification Tuesday afternoon, warning that missiles may pose a threat over the next three days.
Eurocontrol warned that an airstrike by the United States could temporarily disrupt radio navigation systems typically used to determine locations.
“Due to the possible launch of airstrikes into Syria with air-to-ground and/or cruise missiles within the next 72 hours, and the possibility of intermittent disruption of radio navigation equipment, due consideration needs to be taken when planning flight operations in the Eastern Mediterranean/Nicosia FIR area,” the alert read, referring to an abbreviation for Flight Information Region (FIR) that is used to describe certain parts of an airspace.
The strike would be in response to a reported chemical attack in the town of Douma that killed at least 43 people, including young children, and that the West has blamed on the Syrian regime.
Air France, Middle East Airlines and low-cost carrier easyJet changed some of their flight routes in response to the Eurocontrol alert, according to media reports. Other carriers, however, said they were still monitoring developments or had decided against changes.
Most airlines have long avoided Syrian airspace after warnings by the United States and several European governments. On their website, experts with the air traffic monitoring service Flightradar24 said, “Civilian overflight of the Damascus FIR is already severely limited due to the ongoing conflict.”
