Order comes a day after Iran shot down a high-altitude U.S. surveillance drone.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an emergency order prohibiting US airlines from flying in an area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman due to heightened tensions.
Earlier in the day, United Airlines cancelled all flights from Newark International Airport to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
“Given current events in Iran, we have conducted a thorough safety and security review of our India service through Iranian airspace and decided to suspend our service,” the carrier said on its website.
Qantas is re-directing its flights between London and Perth, which frequently fly over Iran.
A spokesman for the Australian airline said it was “adjusting our flight paths over the Middle East to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman until further notice”.
The FAA emergency order comes after Iran shot down a US drone which Tehran claims entered its airspace.
Flight tracking data showed commercial aircraft were flying very close to the drone at the time it was shot down.
According to reports, Donald Trump reportedly gave initial approval for the military to launch strikes on Iran in retaliation, before calling them off at the last minute.
The downing of the $130m unarmed Global Hawk aircraft, which can fly at up to 60,000 ft, was the latest of a series of incidents in the region, that included explosive strikes on six oil tankers.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned by the rise in tensions and urged “all parties exercise maximum restraint.”
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