SWISS has temporarily stopped overflying Saudi Arabia after Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport, while sister carrier Edelweiss continues to use the country’s airspace. The Lufthansa Group airlines are taking different operational approaches as security concerns persist, with SWISS retaining routings through Azerbaijan for flights to India and the Far East instead of adopting Saudi overflight routes.
SWISS considers Saudi routings to offer no significant operational benefit for its current network. The airline is also seeking to avoid the risk of short-notice airspace restrictions or closures, which could increase operational complexity and affect schedule planning.
Saudi airspace remains operationally important for Edelweiss, particularly on services to destinations including the Maldives. The carrier continues to operate under applicable safety requirements and is monitoring developments with aviation specialists. Overflights are permitted under certain conditions by Lufthansa Group, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Civil Aviation, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and Germany’s Federal Aviation Authority.
Flight-tracking data indicate that Austrian Airlines, another Lufthansa Group carrier, is also continuing to overfly Saudi Arabia. SWISS has not specified how long its temporary avoidance will remain in place or which individual flights are affected.