A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

With the latest collapse of a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, flight-planning resource OpsGroup is reporting no new airspace closures or major routing changes in the region thus far as the war in Iran heats up again. It noted that most Gulf flight information regions (FIR) remain open to overflights, although most are still using tactical routes and flow management. Kuwait, it added, remains the exception as overflights through the OKAC/Kuwait FIR remain prohibited at least through August 4.
EASA, however, is advising operators to avoid the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and the Gulf of Oman at all levels, and to weigh potential risks before operating into Israel, Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. In the latter, a missile and drone attack forced the closure of four airports in the Southern part of the kingdom (OEAB, Abha; OGEN, Jizan; OENG, Najran; and OESH, Sharurah) this week.
For Europe-Asia flight routing, OpsGroup stated the two main options remain unchanged from March: north via the Caucasus and then over Afghanistan, or south via Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
The group warned that GPS jamming and spoofing remains a concern across the region, with air traffic control compensating by issuing above-normal amounts of runway heading departure notifications and radar vectors.
Operators should expect fuel delays, extra towing/hangar time, and slower ground handling at some airports in the region.

Risks Weight Upon Middle East Flight Operations

Concerns remain as latest war solutions fail

With the collapse of the latest ceasefire in the Persian Gulf War, aircraft operators in the region remain cautious.

Risks Weigh Upon Middle East Flight Operations

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News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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