Qatar Airways, Emirates and several other Gulf airlines continue to fly over Iran despite an international avoidance to use the country’s airspace since Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a passenger plane and killed 176 people.
According to a report by Reuters published on Sunday, most regional airliners have very limited choices to alter their routes despite the risks.
“Executive and analysts said carriers in the Gulf, a major transit stop between European and Asian destinations, have few alternative routes to choose from in an area where much of the airspace is kept clear of civilian aircraft for military use,” the report explained.
The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport on January 8.
Three days later and under international pressure, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani finally admitted an investigation found that “missiles fired due to human error.”
The incident occurred as Iran was carrying out “revenge” attacks on American military bases in Iraq in response to the death of its top commander Qassem Soleimani a week earlier in US strikes in Baghdad.
