At least 20 planes were forced to make emergency landings at Istanbul Airport on October 1st after Iran launched airstrikes against Israel, prompting several Middle Eastern countries to close their airspace.
With Israel, Iraq, and Jordan closing their skies, numerous aircraft began running low on fuel while circling over the affected region. To address the safety concerns, these planes were diverted to Istanbul Airport, as well as airports in Antalya and Ankara, Turkey, according to Demirören News Agency (DHA).
Turkish airline Pegasus has canceled flights to Iran, Iraq, and Jordan scheduled for October 1st and 2nd, citing flight safety concerns. This comes after the airline had already canceled flights to Beirut until October 8th due to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
The emergency landings were a direct result of Iran's ballistic missile attack on October 1st, which targeted dozens of locations within Israel. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for the attack, characterizing it as retaliation for the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah and Hamas representative Haniyeh.