Jordanian state media reported on Saturday night that the country would temporarily shut its airspace to civilian air traffic from 11 pm local time because of “increasing tensions in the region”.
The Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority was quoted as saying that the airspace closure would last for at least several hours and would be continuously reviewed and updated as the political situation in the Middle East developed.
State broadcaster Al Mamlaka said Jordan’s airspace would be closed to all incoming, departing and transiting aircraft in order to “preserve the safety and security of civil aviation”.
Earlier on Saturday, Jordan’s civil aviation regulator warned that air traffic throughout the country was being affected by intense GPS jamming, which is believed to be the work of neighbouring Israel as part of its attempts to defend itself from a potential Iranian military strike.
Iran has been ramping up the rhetoric against Israel ever since one of its compounds in the Syrian capital, Damascus, was hit by a targeted missile strike, killing several high-ranking officers.
As is customary, Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the strike, but Iran is blaming the Israelis and has vowed to retaliate. The United States has warned that the retaliation could take the form of a massive missile and drone attack on Israel.
Commercial airliners do not rely solely on GPS systems for navigation and signal jamming in the region has been ongoing since October 7, 2023. Nonetheless, Jordanian authorities said they have asked two neighbouring counties to stop jamming GPS signals, although officials were careful not to name the accused countries.
Earlier on Saturday, Australian flag carrier Qantas confirmed that it was rerouting its non-stop service from Perth to London Heathrow via Singapore in order to avoid flying through Iranian airspace.
Israel is going to reap what theyve sowed. Even their own citizens are against their government’s actions.