U. S. diplomats warned that commercial airliners faced a risk of being «misidentified»
U. S. diplomats warned Saturday that commercial airliners flying over the wider Persian Gulf faced a risk of being «misidentified» amid heightened tensions between the U. S. and Iran.
The warning relayed by U. S. diplomatic posts from the Federal Aviation Administration underlined the risks the tensions pose to a region crucial to global air travel. It also came as Lloyd’s of London warned of increasing risks to maritime shipping in the region.
The order relayed Saturday by U. S. diplomats in Kuwait and the UAE came from an FAA Notice to Airmen published late Thursday in the U. S. It said all commercial aircraft flying over the waters of Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman needed to be aware of «heightened military activities and increased political tension.»
This presents «an increasing inadvertent risk to U. S. civil aviation operations due to the potential for miscalculation or misidentification,» the warning said. It also said aircraft could experience interference with its navigation instruments and communications jamming «with little to no warning.»
The Persian Gulf has become a major gateway for East-West travel in the aviation industry. Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, home to Emirates, is the world’s busiest for international travel, while long-haul carriers Etihad and Qatar Airways also operate in the region.
