Egypt issued some very odd instructions to its airline pilots on Wednesday.
The pilots were told to avoid Iranian airspace between 1 AM and 4 AM UTC on Thursday morning, which is 4 AM to 7 AM Israel time.
What’s odd about it is that Egyptian carriers already route around Iran as normal procedure, according to FlightRadar 24.
Egypt has issued a curious NOTAM instructing Egyptian airlines avoid Iranian airspace between 0100-0400 UTC on 8 Aug. We say curious as Egyptian carriers route around Iran already as normal procedure. ?️♂️ @_opsgroup pic.twitter.com/hnR8q0Jrz1
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) August 7, 2024
The NOTAM (notice to air missions), a safety notice provided to pilots, said Wednesday the instruction would be in effect from 0100-0400 GMT.
“All Egyptian carriers shall avoid overflying Tehran (Flight information Region) FIR. No flight plan will be accepted overflying such territory,” the notice said.
A NOTAM issued in Iran on Wednesday said there would be live fire exercises with missiles and other weaponry until 8:30 am local time.
A similar notice issued Monday (Aug. 5) advised all flights over Iran to avoid passing through the western, central and northwestern skies.
Some of this is likely connected to the Iranian announcement of live-fire exercises, slated for Wednesday and Thursday in western Iran.
Authorities announce live-fire exercises in western Iran in next 2 days, advise pilots to avoid low-altitude flights, @kann_news reports. Reminder: Missile bases in area will likely be used to attack Israel. Lots of info coming out of Iran this week, some of it misleading. https://t.co/xelm23uxaj
— Israel Radar (@IsraelRadar_com) August 6, 2024
But as in the past, such “exercises” could also be cover for an attack on Israel: Iran carried out a similar “drill” prior to its April 13 assault on the Jewish State.
And Iran has again threatened a massive attack on Israel in retaliation for last week’s assassination of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh during his visit to Tehran.
Stay tuned.
