Kazakhstan Bans Flights Over Middle East Airspace Due to Security Threats

In response to the escalating situation in the Middle East and a high-level threat to civil aviation safety, Kazakhstan's Aviation Administration has imposed a complete ban on flights over, within, and near the airspace of Iran, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. This directive is effective immediately and will remain in force until further notice.

The order applies to all regular and irregular passenger, cargo, and technical flights operated by Kazakh air carriers.

Consequently, significant schedule changes were implemented for Air Astana and FlyArystan flights on February 28. Several flights were forced to return to their departure airports: KC263 (Almaty-Medina), KC897 (Almaty-Dubai), KC653 (Almaty-Doha), as well as KC205 and KC207 (Astana-Dubai). Flight KC899 from Almaty to Dubai was diverted to Delhi. FlyArystan's FS7617 flight from Aktau to Dubai was rerouted to an alternate airport. All other Middle East-bound flights scheduled for February 28 were canceled.

SCAT Airlines' schedule for February 28 and March 1 shows no flights operating to Middle Eastern destinations.

Foreign carriers serving 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 airlines are also adjusting their schedules. Qeshm Air has reported delays on its Middle East routes for February 28. Pars Air has no scheduled flights between February 28 and March 3.

Airlines and airports are actively informing passengers of all schedule changes through multiple channels: SMS alerts, email notifications, push alerts in mobile apps, updates on official websites and social media pages, as well as via call centers and information desks.

To assist affected passengers, a 24/7 call center has been established by the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan at +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 Airlines: +7 7252 99 88 80
• Qazaq Air: +7 727 356 14 14