Airlines avoiding flying through Iran and Iraq airspace

A growing number of airlines said on Wednesday they were avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace for flights to the region after Tehran fired ballistic missiles against bases housing US troops in Iraq.

"As a precautionary measure and following news of air strikes underway, Air France has decided to suspend until further notice all flights through Iranian and Iraqi airspace," an Air France spokesman told the AFP news agency.

Shortly after the missile attacks, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it was banning US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran, the Gulf of Oman and the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Its Russian counterpart, the Federal Air Transport Agency, said it was recommending airlines avoid the air space over the same area "due to information about current risks for safety of international passenger flights".

A KLM spokesman told AFP: "Until further notice, KLM has no flights over Iranian or Iraqi airspace."

In Germany, Lufthansa said it had cancelled its daily flight to Tehran in addition to halting overflights of Iran and Iraq until further notice.

It added that Saturday's twice-weekly service to northern Iraqi city of Erbil would also not depart.

Poland's national airline LOT had already announced at the weekend that its regular flights in the region were being diverted to keep them out of Iranian airspace.

UAE carriers Emirates Airline and low-cost Flydubai said they had cancelled flights to Baghdad for "operational reasons".