The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has released a statement citing the increased risk associated of operating within Malian airspace. EASA has advised operators to exercise increased caution when operating over (or within) the northern and western regions of Mali due to reports indicating the presence of anti-aircraft machine guns and man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS). EASA notes that there are currently up to 13 European commercial passenger flights operating over this region and advises carriers should ‘exercise extreme caution’ when operating within this area and the surrounding airspace.

The U.S. civil aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has officially banned U.S.-based airlines from operating over Syrian and Iraqi airspace due to the increasingly volatile security situation within these regions. The FAA noted that presence of anti-aircraft weapons in these regions posed a significant potential threat to commercial airlines and has consequently banned U.S. airlines from operating over these regions. Any U.S.-registered airline planning to operate within the airspace of these regions is now required to contact the FAA in order to seek approval to operate within the restricted airspace.

Libyan carriers, Afriqiyah Airways and Libyan Airlines, have both commenced a formal assessment of the damage caused by the recent conflict in Libya. Tripoli International Airport had sustained significant damage as a result of the recent conflict, which also included damage to several aircraft that had been parked at the facility during the engagement. Initial reports indicate that one Airbus A320, one Airbus A330 and one Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft had been damaged beyond repair, with the majority of the remaining aircraft from each respective airline sustaining at least some level of damage. Libyan Airlines noted that it could potentially take up to 12 months to restore the airport facility to its pre-conflict capacity.