SYDNEY - The rising tension between the Iran and United States-led coalition has forced commercial airlines, including Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, to avoid flying over the conflict area.
The US Federal Aviation Authority on Wednesday barred US carriers from flying over Iraq and Iranian airspace in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
The FAA said it issued the ban "due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions in the Middle East, which present an inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations".
Qantas' non-stop flights between Perth and London are the only QF route affected, the airline said.
The QF9 Perth to London leg will have a reduced passenger load to save fuel as the flight will take up to 50 minutes longer, a Qantas spokesperson said. The QF10 London-Perth leg will operate with a full passenger load and the same flight time due to prevailing winds.