الطيران تحت النيران

The global civil aviation sector is facing increasing operational and financial challenges due to international conflicts, airspace closures, and threats from drones and missiles.

These factors have led to frequent route diversions, rising fuel and crew costs, and disruptions in flight schedules, making the ability to predict vital for a sector that relies on discipline and precision.

The closure of airspace around Russia and Ukraine has previously limited route options for airlines, while instances of GPS jamming have increased, threatening air navigation, complicating safety, and placing flight crews in difficult decision-making situations.

The rise of these threats is reshaping the concept of safe flying, making the idea of "open skies" more theoretical than practical. Recent incidents (such as the crashes or shootdowns of passenger and cargo planes in Kazakhstan and Sudan) have highlighted the increasing risks in airspace that has become an extension of terrestrial conflicts.

International organizations have called for improved information sharing and enhanced coordination among countries to secure air corridors, especially those passing over areas of tension. Amid these calls, the ongoing war between Israel and Iran has further complicated the situation, as the recent escalation has led to the closure of Iranian, Iraqi, Syrian, Jordanian, and Israeli airspaces, disrupting global air traffic from East Asia to Europe and North America and vice versa. Many European, Asian, and American companies, as well as Gulf carriers, have had to reroute or cancel flights, resulting in significant delays and financial losses.

As usual, thanks to God, the efficiency of Saudi air navigation has emerged in managing this unusual air traffic flow, accommodating a dense movement of commercial aircraft exceeding 300 flights at one time, and providing safe alternatives for closed routes, especially for Gulf carriers that rely on Gulf airports.

Saudi air traffic control systems have once again demonstrated, with their human and technical resources, an extraordinary ability to adapt and provide advanced navigation services in a highly sensitive regional context, reinforcing Saudi Arabia's position as a reliable aviation hub in the region and the world.

The aviation sector has always depended on political stability, and this is now more evident than ever. In light of the closure of air corridors, the increasing threat of missile and drone attacks, and navigation failures, we have entered an era where the reliability of air routes depends less on weather reports and fuel calculations and more on political trends. For airlines, this means a need for continuous adaptation, rising costs, and increased vigilance, while for travelers, it means the likelihood of higher ticket prices and disruptions in flight schedules.

It is unclear where things are heading, but it seems this is the "new normal."

The question is: how will the aviation sector learn to adapt to this changing reality without losing its core identity in ensuring safety, discipline, and quality?