Middle East Turbulence: When Airplanes Do the Tango!

E=mc²... and E=evasive maneuvers?

Good heavens what a kerfuffle in the Middle East! It seems some folks decided to send a few fiery greetings across the sky prompting our metal birds to perform unplanned aerial ballets. My dear friends I must say even I with my humble understanding of the universe find this situation rather… perplexing. It appears Iran decided to introduce a bit of 'action' near a U.S. military base in Qatar and the airlines responded with the grace of a waltzing elephant – albeit a very very fast one. As I always say 'The important thing is not to stop questioning,' and I certainly question the wisdom of launching missiles near commercial air routes!

Turnaround Tango: A Flightradar24 Spectacle

Flightradar24 bless their digital hearts informed us that at least six commercial aircraft executed rather abrupt about faces near the United Arab Emirates' airspace. One imagines the pilots announcing 'Ladies and gentlemen due to unforeseen circumstances we'll be doing a 180. Please ensure your tray tables are in their upright and locked position and try not to spill your coffee!' The airspace over the UAE I hear went into a temporary 'closed for business' mode. It's all rather reminiscent of my own attempts at playing the violin – a series of unexpected stops and starts much to the chagrin of everyone involved.

Bahrain's Brief Bout of Airspace Blues

Even the tranquil island nation of Bahrain joined the airspace closing party albeit briefly. One can picture the air traffic controllers there sipping tea and suddenly exclaiming 'Ach du lieber! Close the skies!' It seems the world or at least the bit above Bahrain decided to take a short breather.

Air France Iberia Finnair: Airlines on Hiatus

Now the big boys of the aviation world – Air France Iberia Finnair and a gaggle of others – decided to politely excuse themselves from the Middle Eastern stage. 'We shall pause our service,' they declared 'until the fireworks subside.' Wise decision I say! After all as I often remind my students 'The only sure way to avoid making mistakes is to have no new ideas.' And flying into a missile strike zone… well that’s certainly a new idea but not a very good one.

American and United: Ahead of the Curve?

American Airlines and United Airlines it seems had already pulled their Doha and Dubai flights respectively. Perhaps they have access to a special 'future seeing' device? Or maybe they simply possess an abundance of good old fashioned common sense. Whatever the reason they deserve a pat on the back. As I am quite fond of saying 'A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.'

Israel Service Suspended: A Month of Mondays

And let us not forget the suspension of service to Israel after their own little spat earlier this month. It seems the Middle East is currently auditioning for the role of 'Most Turbulent Region,' and they're giving it their all. My advice to the airlines? Buckle up folks. It's going to be a bumpy ride. And remember 'God does not play dice with the universe' but some of its inhabitants seem to!