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U.S. FAA bans airlines from flying over Iraq, Iran after missile attack on U.S. troops
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it would ban U.S. carriers from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, the Gulf of Oman and the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia after Iran launched a missile attack on U.S.-led forces in Iraq.
Tehran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles from Iranian territory against at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S.-led coalition personnel, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
The FAA said it issued the airspace ban “due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions in the Middle East, which present an inadvertent risk to U.S. civil aviation operations.”
Several non-U.S. airlines had flights over parts of Iraq and Iran at the time, according to FlightRadar24 data. They are not directly affected by the FAA ban, but foreign carriers and their national regulators typically consider U.S. advice carefully when deciding where to fly.
Before the latest guidance, the FAA had already prohibited U.S. carriers from flying below 26,000 feet over Iraq and from flying over an area of Iranian airspace above the Gulf and Gulf of Oman since Iran shot down a high-altitude U.S. drone last June.
Singapore Airlines Ltd said after the attack on U.S. bases in Iraq that all of its flights would be diverted from Iranian airspace. Carriers are increasingly taking steps to limit threats to their planes after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down in 2014 by a missile over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
An international aviation team has been activated to support “effective coordination and communication” between airlines and countries as tensions mount in the Middle East after a U.S. drone strike killed an Iranian military commander, global airlines body IATA said on Tuesday. Airlines and the United Nations’ aviation agency have started to monitor strategic airspace over Iran and Iraq. With some commercial carriers still serving those countries and others flying over their airspace, the International Air Transport Association also issued a statement reminding countries of their obligation to communicate potential risks to civil aviation. “It is critical that states live up to this obligation as tensions in the Middle East rise,” the group said, days after the killing of General Qassem Soleimani on Friday plunged the region into a new crisis.
On Monday, Germany published a new warning for Iraq, indicating areas of concern for overflying traffic, according to a report published by the site OPSGROUP.
The coordination team operated by IATA and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was activated as a “standard precautionary measure,” in the event that contingency measures are required by airlines, IATA said in a statement to Reuters. The team brings together airlines, regulators and air navigation service providers to ensure any potential risks to aviation are shared quickly, an industry source familiar with the group said. “Everyone’s urging restraint,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Airspace controlled by Iran and Iraq are seen as strategic for commercial aviation in the Middle East. If there were the need to shut down the airspace, carriers would have to be rerouted which would lead to greater congestion and fuel costs, said the source.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-airlines-safety-mideast/u-s-faa-bans-airlines-from-flying-over-iraq-iran-after-missile-attack-on-u-s-troops-idUSKBN1Z622K
chek't and rek't
Asian shares slump but US futures recover early loss; oil gold higher after Iran strike on U.S. forces
Asian shares and U.S. treasury yields plunged on Wednesday, while gold and oil shot higher after Iran fired rockets at an Iraqi airbase that hosts U.S. military forces, stoking fears of further sharp escalations in a developing conflict. In morning trade, MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan shed 0.5%. Japan’s Nikkei dropped 2.5% and Australian shares fell 1%. U.S. crude soared 4.42% to $65.47 a barrel. The sharp sell-off in risk assets was accompanied by steep drops in U.S. Treasury yields as investors flocked to safety. Benchmark 10-year Treasury notes yielded 1.7188%, down more than 10 basis points from a U.S. close of 1.825% on Tuesday. The two-year yield dropped to 1.4581% compared with a U.S. close of 1.546%. The dollar also plunged against the yen, with the Japanese currency touching its strongest point against the greenback since October. The U.S. currency was last down 0.69% against the yen at 107.67.The flight to safety and a falling dollar supported gold, which was sent higher on the spot market to $1,586.xx per ounce It peaked at $1612.10 earlier this evening.
Foreign workers are leaving Iraq and Iran amid rising tensions following Tehran's missile attacks on U.S.-led forces in Iraq after the killing of Iranian military commander Gen. Qassam Soleimani. The evacuations by the international community will weigh on a regional economy that has already been battered by sanctions and conflict
EgyptAir said Tuesday that it has suspended flights to Baghdad for three days "for the safety of our passengers and planes and until the security situation stabilizes in the city."Oil companies are reportedly pulling employees from the suburbs of the southern Iraqi city of Basra, near the Iranian border. The Iraqi oil ministry said Friday that employees of U.S. oil companies were leaving the country, claiming that there would be no impact on the industry. But there are signs that the exodus is growing.
The Philippines has created plans to evacuate 6,000 nationals in Iraq and 1,600 in Iran if their safety is threatened.
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/global-markets-asian-shares-slump-gold-oil-soar-after-iran-strike-on-u.s.-forces-2020-01
Japan's real wages fell 0.9% in November, threatening demand
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Japan-s-real-wages-fell-0.9-in-November-threatening-demand
https://www.kitco.com/charts/livegold.html
https://www.cnbc.com/asia-markets/
https://www.macrotrends.net/2566/crude-oil-prices-today-live-chart
https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/stocks/futures
Blackhawk 50ft off the deck.
See these patrolling the border but usually not at that level.