Kazakhstan Bans Flights Over Middle East Airspace Due to Security Threats

In response to the heightened security situation in the Middle East, Kazakhstan's Aviation Administration has imposed a complete ban on flights by Kazakh carriers over, within, and near the airspace of Iran, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. The restriction is effective immediately and will remain until further notice.

The directive applies to all regular and irregular passenger, cargo, and technical flights operated by Kazakh airlines.

As a result of this decision, significant schedule changes were implemented on February 28th. Air Astana flights KC263 (Almaty-Medina), KC897 (Almaty-Dubai), KC653 (Almaty-Doha), as well as KC205 and KC207 (Astana-Dubai) were forced to return to their departure airports. Flight KC899 from Almaty to Dubai was redirected to Delhi.

FlyArystan's flight FS7617 from Aktau to Dubai was diverted to an alternate airport. All other flights by these carriers to the Middle East scheduled for February 28th have been canceled.

The airline SCAT has also removed all its flights bound for the Middle East from its schedules for February 28th and March 1st.

Foreign airlines operating in Kazakhstan, including Qatar Airways, Air Arabia, Flydubai, Jazeera Airways, Air Cairo, and Red Sea Airlines are coordinating with their headquarters and local tour operators to develop action plans in light of the new restrictions.

Iranian carriers are also experiencing disruptions. Qeshm Air has reported delays on its Middle Eastern routes for February 28th, while Pars Air has no scheduled flights between February 28th and March 3rd.

Airlines and airports are actively informing passengers about schedule changes through SMS alerts, email notifications, push notifications in mobile apps, official websites, social media channels, call centers, and information desks.

To assist affected passengers around the clock, a dedicated call center has been established at the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan: +7 7172 7798215.

Passengers are advised to check their flight status directly with their airlines using the following contact numbers:

• Air Astana: +7727244 44 77; +7 7172 58 44 77; +7 702 702 44 77
• FlyArystan: +7 727 3311010 (WhatsApp: +7 7027020227)
• SCAT: +7 7252 99 88 80
• Qazaq Air: +7 727 356 14 14