Divert, turn back or fly around: what it's like to be a pilot when missiles start crossing your flight path

"You're stuck in that airplane until you land safely, the veteran Australian pilot says. Amid the expanding war in Iran with missiles piercing the skies over the Middle East pilots' regimented routes have been thrown into chaos. They've been forced to turn planes around mid-flight or squeeze into narrowing air corridors, with hundreds of lives in their hands."

"When the airspace is congested and you've got less room to manoeuvre. If something goes wrong, you have fewer options. Airspace was closed on Saturday, after the US and Israel launched airstrikes and Iran retaliated with a barrages of missiles across the Middle East. Airborne planes diverted to the nearest airports available."

"The first thing is: Where are we? And how much fuel have we got and where do we need to go? he says. Tonkin and his first officer, or co-pilot, checked their maps for a nearby airport to land at. With enough fuel reserves, they decided to keep going the long way around."

Commercial pilots operating in the Middle East confront severe challenges as military conflicts force airspace closures and restrict flight corridors. When missiles are fired and airstrikes occur, planes must divert mid-flight to nearest available airports, creating congested conditions with reduced maneuvering space. This mass disruption differs significantly from isolated incidents pilots typically encounter. Veteran pilots like Keith Tonkin draw on experience from previous military activities, such as unexpected missile drills, to navigate crises. During emergencies, pilots rely on rapid calculations regarding fuel reserves, nearby airports, and alternative routes, often depending on their own judgment when standard communication channels become overwhelmed. The combination of congested airspace, fewer routing options, and hundreds of lives aboard creates unprecedented pressure on flight crews managing these complex situations.

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