As war spreads, airline pilots contend with drones, missiles - and stress

LONDON/COPENHAGEN/BEIRUT: Airline pilots have faced escalating risks in recent years, from drone incursions to flight paths squeezed by conflict. Now U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran are making the skies even more perilous and ratcheting up the pressure on those flying through them.

The outbreak of war in the Middle East has put hundreds of ballistic ​missiles and attack drones into the skies above some of the world’s busiest airports. Tehran’s retaliation against the U.S. and its allies has included hitting airports, grounding scores of flights from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. A trickle ‌of rescue flights has made it through for thousands of stranded passengers.

Reuters spoke to eight pilots and more than a half-dozen aviation and security insiders who said the accumulation of conflicts – from Ukraine to Afghanistan and Israel – has increased the burden on pilots, forcing them to manage shrinking airspace and the wider use of military drones far from active war zones.

That’s increased the strain on the mental health of pilots desperate to keep themselves and their passengers safe.
“We are not military pilots. We are not trained to deal with these kinds of threats in the air,” Tanja Harter, a pilot with Middle ​East experience and president of the European Cockpit Association, told Reuters.

The current crisis is the latest in a string of security threats the sector has faced over the years, she said, which could cause “fear and anxiety” for pilots. Airlines ​now often have peer programs to help, she said, adding as a pilot she would not want to “share airspace with missiles.”

Airspace safety has worsened in the last two-and-a-half years as conflicts have grown, ⁠industry experts said, through a combination of GPS spoofing – maliciously tricking planes about their position – and increased numbers of missiles and drones.

An Air France  flight to bring stranded French nationals home from the United Arab Emirates turned back due to missile fire on Thursday. A ​Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), opens new tab pilot on Friday diverted from Riyadh to Cairo over regional security fears.

FLYING HIGHER TO AVOID MISSILES

Middle East-trained pilots have become wearily used to emergencies, the head of Lebanon’s civil aviation body said. The escalating conflict put those skills to the test quickly. Video footage ​on March 5 showed planes taking off from Beirut airport as smoke billowed over buildings in the Lebanese capital.