The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) eased its airspace warnings for Jordan and Lebanon on August 31, 2026, the same day Jordan’s military said it had intercepted eight missiles over the kingdom at dawn.
The agency revised its Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) for Jordan, dropping the recommendation that operators avoid the Amman flight information region (FIR) altogether. The previous version prohibited airlines from operating in the Amman FIR at any altitude or flight level.
The revised bulletin asks operators to take potential risks into account, maintain up-to-date risk assessments and contingency plans, and remain prepared to follow instructions from state authorities at short notice. EASA assessed the risk to civil flights as medium rather than high and extended the bulletin’s validity to September 30, 2026.
EASA attributed the change to a quiet August 2026. After a sustained increase in kinetic military activity in July 2026, no kinetic activity was observed in August 2026, the bulletin states. It also notes that Jordanian authorities have published no conflict-related airspace restrictions or route closures, meaning operators should be prepared for tactical deconfliction if activity resumes.
The same day, the official spokesman for the Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement carried by the state news agency Petra that air defense systems intercepted eight missiles that penetrated the kingdom’s airspace at dawn on August 31, 2026. He said the missiles were destroyed before they posed a threat to citizens or property.
EASA restores limited access to Beirut
EASA also revised its Lebanon bulletin, restoring an exception for Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY). Operators may fly to and from Beirut where the approach begins over the sea, and the departure ends over the sea, subject to an up-to-date risk assessment and continuous risk monitoring.
Lebanese airspace remains assessed as high risk outside that carve-out. EASA said recurrent ceasefire violations were observed in August 2026, primarily in southern Lebanon.
UAE reports drone approaching from Iran
Separately, the UAE Ministry of Defense said on August 31, 2026, that the UAE Air Force engaged a drone detected over the country’s territorial waters as it approached from Iran, in a statement carried by the state news agency WAM.
EASA told airlines to avoid Gulf airspace covering Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on July 14, 2026.
Both revised bulletins remain valid until September 30, 2026, unless reviewed earlier. CZIBs are recommendations. They apply to operators governed by Commission Regulation (EU) 965/2012 and to third-country operators holding EASA authorizations, while national authorities retain control over their own airspace.