Overview

• Closure of Iranian and Iraqi airspace has diverted key Europe-Asia routes onto northern passages over Afghanistan under Taliban control.
• Western aviation authorities mandate a minimum cruising altitude of 9,753.6 meters to reduce the risk of surface-to-air missile attacks in unmonitored Afghan airspace.
• A June 14 NOTAM by Afghan authorities requires a 15-minute longitudinal separation between aircraft entering the Kabul flight information region to ease congestion.
• Airlines are layering contingency measures including extra fuel reserves to enable diversions away from Afghan airspace in case of emergencies.
• Eurocontrol confirms sustained unavailability of central Middle Eastern corridors and warns of continued rerouting pressures until regional airspace reopens.