The flights in question
We looked specifically at Finnair’s A330 services between Doha and Nordic capitals Stockholm (ARN), Copenhagen (CPH) and of course Helsinki (HEL). Qatar Airways would in many cases run their own flights to the Nordic capitals on certain days of the week, so we could do like comparisons.
Note: most of the Finnair flights, a relatively short-lived experiment by the airline to get better utilization from their A330s, have since been dropped. Qatar Airways have taken back over the ARN and CPH flights as in the past, and Finnair is back to serving only DOH-HEL.
The two main routing options
While the exact routings would differ in many ways on any given day, there are two main ways currently to fly between the Persian Gulf cities and the Nordics. The first and usually more common is to head north via Iraq, close to the Iranian border, before turning left over Turkey and proceeding up the southern part of the Black Sea and then heading up Eastern Europe, with a little dog leg to avoid Ukraine, and then pretty much due north.
All flights between the two regions currently avoid Syrian airspace as well as Lebanon and Israel. However with the rise in active conflict in Israel and especially the very real threat of missile volleys between Iran and Israel, more and more flights have been taking a different route, heading west out of Doha over Saudia Arabia, routing more or less over Cairo before heading up via Turkey, Greece, or Bulgaria.
Looking into the data
In both images, but especially the image demonstrating flights by Qatar Airways, evidence of GPS interference—including jamming and spoofing—is visible. For more information on GPS jamming, please see our post here. And for a live look at areas experiencing GPS interference, visit our GPS jamming map.
What are the key factors?
It’s impossible to know the specific reasons why Qatar Airways and Finnair made different decisions about for every given flight. We also know that these decisions are based on many different factors that are dynamic, constantly changing. There are the big aforementioned factors like active conflict, but there is also weather, air traffic control restrictions and more.
Think of one potential (imagined but plausible) case, for example, where an A330 is fully loaded and would only be able to climb to FL320 for the first part of the flight, but significant turbulence is predicted at that altitude over Iraq and Turkey. On the other hand a Qatar Airways 787 might be able to make it to FL380 directly after takeoff, and up there the air is calm. That alone could influence a routing choice.
How does Finnair approach it?
FR24: What is Finnair’s approach these days when it comes to routing via the Middle East and planning which airspace to use?
JP: Monitoring the development of airspace we fly in is a natural part of our daily operations, and safety is always our first priority. We follow closely the recommendations of the authorities and continuously carry out our own assessment of possible factors related to the use of airspace that may affect our flights.
For the time being, we don’t for example use Iranian airspace. This affects our flights to Doha, causing longer flight time.
We follow the situation continuously and make necessary adjustments when needed.
Specifically on the Doha flights, could you walk me through the process that leads to deciding on one route over the other?
In general, the routings are based on many factors, such as the winds, load factors, fuel burn and overflight fees. The exact flight route for each flight is defined closer to the departure based on, for example, the weather conditions on the day.
Our flights to Doha have been affected by the conflicts in the Middle East, and we have at times changed our routings, for example avoiding Iranian airspace. At the moment, for the Helsinki-Doha route, we mainly fly via the Baltics and Eastern Europe to Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
For the return flight from Doha to Helsinki we can also use Iraq airspace, which we recently restarted using during daytime, like many other western airlines.
How do you weigh the various concerns (conflict, crowded airspace, GPS jamming) when it comes to risk management and how difficult does it make the job of the route planners/operations personnel?
Monitoring the safety of the airspace we use is an integral part of our operations. We follow authority guidance, we discuss with our partner airlines and we carry out our own risk assessment on a weekly and even daily basis. Safety is always our first priority, and we have the capability to change routings when needed, even when the flight is already en route.
GPS jamming is not really an issue – it is so common nowadays and our pilots are well trained to deal with it, with the alternative navigation systems that we have in our aircraft.
Which specific authority’s recommendations do you follow/monitor?
We monitor multiple authority sources, including national authorities and EASA.
Why don’t you use Iranian airspace, and for how long have you been avoiding it?
Due to the unstable situation in the Middle East, we have decided not to use Iranian airspace. We first stopped using it back in April 2024, and apart from a couple weeks in between, we have not used it since.
We follow closely the recommendations of the authorities and continuously carry out our own assessment of possible factors related to the use of airspace that may affect our flights. Safety is always our priority.
On Doha flights, why were you avoiding Iraq airspace on many flights, and what was the factor(s) that led you to resume using it?
We restarted using Iraqi airspace during daytime in December 2024. The decision to use the airspace was based on a risk assessment and our operations fully comply with all applicable regulatory guidelines and recommendations.
As our flight from Doha to Helsinki departs in the morning, we can use the airspace for that route.
Is airspace congestion a factor with so much no-go airspace in the region? We’ve heard anecdotally that this is an issue on both the Iraq corridor as well as transiting Saudi at certain times of day.
The airspace in the region has been congested, but so far it has not been a factor in our operations.
Further reading
If you’d like to delve more into the risk analysis on air routes via and around the Middle East in the current geopolitical climate, this report from OPSGROUP is interesting reading.
