Baku airport receives diverted flights after Iranian airspace shutdown Amid Israeli strikes

In the wake of a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting military facilities in Iran, airspace over the country has been closed, prompting several international airlines to make emergency landings at Azerbaijan’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

Numerous flights were diverted and safely landed in Baku due to Iran’s airspace closure, Caliber.Az reports, citing a statement by Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

“As a result of the airspace closure over Iran, several international airlines requested emergency landings at Heydar Aliyev International Airport,” the statement read.

The flights redirected to Baku included a Jazeera Airways flight en route from Moscow (DME) to Kuwait, Fly Dubai flights from Budapest, Moscow (VKO), Minsk, Kazan, and St. Petersburg to Dubai, and an Air Arabia flight from Moscow to Sharjah. The airport, Azerbaijan’s primary aviation hub, swiftly mobilized resources to accommodate the influx of emergency arrivals. “Heydar Aliyev International Airport mobilized all necessary resources to provide prompt and high-quality services to the arriving flights,” the statement continued.

The airspace closure and flight diversions follow a series of targeted Israeli airstrikes across multiple military installations in Iran, including missile manufacturing plants and ground-to-air missile systems in Tehran. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed the strikes, emphasizing that they were a retaliatory response to what they described as "months of aggressive actions by the Iranian regime against Israel."

"The regime in Iran and its proxies in the region have been relentlessly attacking Israel since October 7th – on seven fronts – including direct attacks from Iranian soil," the IDF explained in a statement posted on Telegram.

According to the IDF, the operation successfully achieved its objectives, with Israeli aircraft returning home safely following the mission. "This was in response to Iran's attacks against the State of Israel in recent months. The retaliatory strike has been completed, and its objectives have been achieved," a follow-up IDF statement confirmed.

The targeted facilities reportedly included sites crucial to Iran's missile production capabilities, which Israel asserts are instrumental in supplying rockets used in attacks against its territory. The strikes also targeted air defence systems that could restrict Israeli military operations over Iranian airspace, further complicating regional tensions.

By Vugar Khalilov