If you are a regular Flightradar24 aircraft tracker, then you might have noticed various regions of the world which fewer aircraft traverse. Aside from ‘empty’ regions with limited airport options and connections, the main reason an area is not overflown is down to conflict zones and the risk to air travel which they pose.
What sort of risk?
Conflict Zones present various risks to civilian traffic but the most severe is the chance of getting shot down due to the presence of high powered (able to reach high altitude) weapons. Surface-to-air weapons, airborne hazards such as weaponized drones or missiles, anti-aircraft artillery and military defense aircraft and systems, are all present in many conflicts. Perhaps, surprisingly, the risk of intentional shoot down is actually, generally, less than the risk of misidentification, miscalculation or for aircraft to be impacted by indirect fire or debris though.
In 2014, MH17 was misidentified while flying over eastern Ukraine and was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. This led to a huge shake up in the way conflict zone risk was assessed. But in 2020, UIA752 was misidentified by air defense systems while operating at OIIE/Tehran and was shot down so the risk remains, albeit much better understood and monitored nowadays.
What does it mean for flights?
Airspace where the likelihood or severity of risk is considered too high is prohibited. The likes of Syria, (most of) Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia (except for some offshore areas), Libya, Sudan and Ukraine are all out of bounds for the vast majority of flights (some domestic airlines/ ‘friendly’ foreign aircraft operate into some of these regions still).
Even closed airspace can still have an indirect impact on flights though. The closure of Ukrainian airspace (and sanctions against Russia) has had a big impact on civil aviation because it blocks off a major section of airspace, leading to significantly increased flight routes (and with it fuel burn and flight times) for anyone hoping to route between Europe and the Far East. Syria’s position adjacent to Iraq and Türkiye means increased flight times in the event of diversions, while Somalia (in part due to conflict in other neighbouring African countries) reduces the routes available for north/south traffic between Europe and the Middle to Africa.
How else do conflict zones impact flights?
A major impact from conflict zones is GPS interference. This isn’t internationally directed at civilian aircraft, but they get caught in the “interference crossfire” and it causes big issues for their systems. GPS is used in primary navigation and communication systems and interference degrades and even renders these unusable for the flight.
Jamming blocks signals the leading to a loss of navigation capability, while spoofing sends false position signals to aircraft leading them to effectively become uncertain of their position and can lead to issues with other connected systems like the EGPWS (ground proximity warning). Crew are reporting events such as random “Pull Up!” Warnings where aircraft think they are at a far lower altitude, spurious trajectories causing their aircraft to turn without warning, and complete loss of primary navigation capability requiring the pilots to revert to basic modes such as heading, and reliance on ground based navigation aids.
GPS interference can also lead to aircraft being unable to fly certain approach types, while the loss of SATCOM (satellite communication) causes significant challenges for aircraft planning to cross the North Atlantic (NAT HLA) where datalink (SATCOM plus ADS-C) capability is mandated because of the lack of other reliable communication and surveillance methods over the ocean.
Secondary risks
Not all airspace is prohibited. An airspace might just be subject to restrictions or warnings, often in the form of restrictions to minimum flight levels/altitudes, or on which routes can be utilised. While the risk is reduced, some secondary risks remain. For example, an aircraft overflying at a minimum FL320 which experiences an engine failure, or depressurization requiring rapid descent, will be unable to maintain the minimum recommended ‘safe’ altitude.
Likewise, diversion options are extremely limited and safety and security on the ground in the event of one will be impacted. In late 2018, a Norwegian 737 diverted into SYZ/Shiraz airport, Iran following an issue with one of its engine. Passengers overnighted in Shiraz, picked up the following day by a “rescue” aircraft. The passport entry stamp into Iran automatically disqualifies non-US passport holders from obtaining an ESTA visa exemption. The aircraft was stranded in Iran for 10 weeks while sanctions between the USA and Iran prevented the import of parts to repair the aircraft engine.
The restrictions to available airways and levels, often leads to route congestion and raised risks of traffic conflict, as well as causing issues for aircraft in the event of major weather diversions. One such area is the north/south routing through Iraq which is limited to a small number of airways, all in close proximity to Iranian airspace, preventing avoidance to the left/right (depending on direction of flight).
How do pilots know where they can and cannot go?
Conflict zone guidance, cautions and warnings are published by States, either in their aeronautical publications, or through permanent NOTAMs which are provided to pilots in their flight briefing packs. EASA post ‘CZIBs’ – Conflict Zone Information Bulletins – which contain all the main state restrictions and warnings and these are available for all to view. The US Federal Aviation Administration also maintains a set of security NOTAMs that may differ slightly or overlap with the EASA CZIB notices.
What can pilots do if a flight is at risk?
Defensive measures are available but are a last resort. An example where these might be used would be ORER/Erbil where there is a known risk of potential fire/projectiles from the terrain to the north and northeast of the airport. Aircraft operating to Erbil will hold away from the higher risk area and climb/descend rapidly until at a safe altitude/able to commence the approach.
Methods such as reducing thermal and infra-red signals through reduced thrust take-offs, switching off systems which transmit signals, restricting use of identification systems ie landing lights etc are available but where required, civil aircraft are unlikely to be operating. General methods advised to pilots flying through higher risk areas are to maintain good two way comms with ATC, ensure they are transmitting the correct squawk code to avoid misidentification, and guidance on monitoring navigation systems to ensure no deviation.
Current conflict areas
Here is a look at the current conflict zones in 2024 impacting international civilian aviation to the point of prohibition (complete flight bans).
1. Ukraine (and Russia)
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the closure and prohibition of Ukraine airspace. Sanctions against Russia and Belarus have prevented many operators from utilizing their airspace. Ukraine is an active and high risk conflict zone and all airspace, at all levels, and within 200nm of borders, is prohibited. The UUWV/Moscow FIR (flight information region) is considered high risk but is utilized by some operators from certain countries.
2. Sudan and South Sudan
Sudan’s HSSS/Khartoum FIR (so, all of its airspace) is a ‘No Go’ Zone because of the ongoing conflict between the Sudan Armed Forces and opposition Rapid Support Forces. Both sides have access to anti-aircraft artillery systems, MANPADS and SAM systems, and military operations affect airports across the country.
KRT/Khartoum is Sudan’s main international airport and some international operators including Turkish airlines are still operating here. TK6455 is a scheduled flight between IST/Istanbul and NBO/ Nairobi with stops in Khartoum. PZU/Port Sudan still has flights from international traffic including FlyDubai (FZ), Afrique Airways (8U, Saudia (SV), Egyptair (MS) and Turkish (TK) amongst others.
South Sudan is fairing a little better, having had a ceasefire in place since February 2020. However, it is still considered volatile, and its proximity to Sudan has led to a restriction of FL250 for all overflying traffic. Their primary airport JUB/Juba is utilized by several international operators from the Middle East and Africa.
3. Libya
Libya is considered a risky place, mainly due to significant terrorist activity within the region that has crept in while the country has been stuck in civil conflict. The risk from both terrorist groups and the military in terms of intentional and unintentional attacks is considered extremely high. So they say “Don’t Go!”, and that applies at any flight level. It is not just the risk of damage and shoot down, the infrastructure in Libya is poor and airports are often targeted, while ATC services are often down with limited or no radar or VHF comms. MJI/Mitiga airport and TIP/Tripoli have both been targeted on numerous occasions.
There is a small caveat – operations to coastal airports (while really not recommended, and banned by many) is allowed (by some States) if aircraft approach from the sea, in full coordination with ATC, and if they’ve done their own risk assessment. In 2023, Italy declared Libya ‘okay for ops’ and ITA Airways considered flights between FCO/Rome and BEN/Bengazhi. So far, these have not happened, but there are a bunch of international and domestic flights into Libya operated by domestic airlines and airlines from nearby neighbors.
4. Somalia
While there are operations allowed through HCSM/Mogadishu airspace, these stay above FL260 and stick to off-shore routes, mainly the UR401 airways which runs north-south. It is an important flight route connecting the Middle East and Africa and being off-shore lowers the risk of things getting pointed at you.
5. Syria
Misidentification and intentional targeting make this one of the riskiest airspaces on the Earth and near on all State’s say “Nope” to flying in or over it. They also caution flying near it because of the high risk of GPS interference, and things flying (being fired) between Iran and other neighboring countries. The country is covered by the one main FIR – OSTT/Damascus.
It is in a slightly problematic position as far as airspaces go because it sits between Iraq and Turkey, and aircraft routing through Iraq which have issues (already restricted with flight levels and a lack of good diversion options in Iraq) will probably want to divert to relatively safe Turkey, but they need to be careful not to clip the corner of Syrian airspace in the process.
6. Afghanistan
Save for one tiny sticky-outty section, Afghanistan is not a place many fly over. The ‘okay’ bit is two north/south airways – G500/P500 – which enable aircraft to route between Tajikistan and Pakistan. This allows connections between Europe and Asia which want to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace.
There are several airlines that do fly through the OAKX/Kabul FIR though, including Bangladeshi Biman Airlines (BG) and Aeroflot (SU) and of course Afghan operators.
Some places not on the “CZIB” list
Israel, currently involved in active conflict is noticeably absent from the “risk list”. This is predominantly down to Israel’s air defense system (and training of its operators) – the risk of misidentification is considered low, and Israel maintains a good line of communication on ongoing risk, alerting operators early to escalations or airspace closures.
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-300x148.jpg)
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-768x378.jpg)
