"A Eurowings spokesperson told Business Insider that its owner, the Lufthansa Group, decided not to fly over Iranian or Iraqi airspace as a precautionary measure. They added that the refueling stop was "due to a longer flight distance and stronger headwinds on the alternative route at the time." "In the event of such refueling, we inform our passengers accordingly before departure in Dubai," they said."
"It first flew for just over 6 hours to Thessaloniki, Greece, for a refuelling stop, data from Flightradar24 shows. After about 50 minutes on the ground, it took off again for Germany. However, the 2-hour flight landed in Nuremberg around 1:30 a.m. It appears that it was too late to land in Stuttgart due to nighttime flight restrictions. Therefore, it wasn't until the next morning that the plane made another 30-minute flight to reach its intended destination."
European carriers are avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace as a precaution, lengthening routes between the Middle East and Europe. A Dubai–Stuttgart Eurowings flight required a refuelling stop in Thessaloniki, then landed in Nuremberg because nighttime restrictions prevented arrival in Stuttgart, resulting in an 11-hour longer journey than a usual direct flight. Longer alternative distances and stronger headwinds increase fuel requirements. Some flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi now include refuelling and crew-change stops in Cyprus or Thessaloniki. Budget single-aisle jets are more susceptible to such refuelling needs because they approach their maximum range on these routes.
Read at Business Insider
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