EASA Advises Airlines to Avoid Parts of Saudi Airspace Through November 16

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an advisory recommending European airlines avoid parts of Saudi Arabia's airspace. Effective until at least November 16, 2026, the guidance covers sections of the Jeddah Flight Information Region (FIR) in western Saudi Arabia.

EASA cited an increase in Houthi missile and drone strikes targeting areas deep inside Saudi territory as the basis for the alert. The agency noted risks to civil aircraft, including misidentification, missiles and drones traversing flight paths, air defence interception activities, and falling debris.

The measure is official guidance rather than a mandatory airspace closure, applying to EU-regulated carriers and airlines operating under EASA approval. EASA already maintains guidance to avoid airspace over Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq through the same mid-November date.

The directive is expected to impact Europe–Asia transit times, as carriers previously using southern Saudi routes to bypass the central Gulf may now face additional routing detours.