European regulator advises airlines to avoid Bahrain, Qatar and UAE airspace

European regulator advises airlines to avoid Bahrain, Qatar and UAE airspace The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Tuesday issued an advisory for airlines not to operate over Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and areas near the Gulf of Oman. Citing heightened security risks linked to regional military activity, EASA, in a statement, said that "potential use of missiles, drones, combat aircraft and air-defence systems poses a high risk to civilian flights." Last week, the agency had issued similar guidelines for the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.