US relaxes restrictions on US civilian flights over Gulf

The US FAA is allowing U.S. airlines to resume operations over large areas of the Gulf, saying that a lower military posture by Iran has reduced the threat of miscalculation or misidentification of civilian flights. A notice issued Friday by the FAA rescinded restrictions imposed on US air carriers in early January that prohibited flights over large swaths of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman as tensions rose between Iran and the US. “Iran has de-escalated its military posture in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman as of early Feb 2020,” said the notice. “Given the de-escalation, the FAA assesses there is sufficient reduced risk of Iranian military miscalculation or misidentification that could affect US civil aviation operations.” The notice applied to the airspaces of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman. <br/>