A narrow flight corridor that’s become vital to airlines is shrinking as the Iran conflict expands.
On Thursday, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said that Iranian drones attacked the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. It’s an exclave to the north of Iran, which is separated from the rest of Azerbaijan by Armenia.
One drone damaged the terminal at Nakhchivan Airport, and another fell near a school building, the ministry said. Two civilians were injured, it added.
As a result, Azerbaijan closed the southern sector of its airspace.
It leaves airplanes flying between Europe and Asia with an even smaller space to navigate.
Since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday, airlines have been unable to fly over the Persian Gulf, which was previously the main route.
Following drone strikes on Nakhchivan International Airport (NAJ) earlier today, Azerbaijan has closed the airspace in its southern sector. Learn more about this, and more, in our updated list of airspace closures and restrictions: https://t.co/AU0KOdzprt pic.twitter.com/X19SnOglD5
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 5, 2026
Instead, they have been rerouting through Saudi Arabia or the Caucasus. The region consists of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, and links the Black Sea with the Caspian Sea. It is bordered by Iran and Turkey to the south, and Russia to the north.
Most airlines have been unable to fly over Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Caucasus is not without its own tensions, either.
In 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, a region within its territory that was governed and mostly populated by ethnic Armenians.
The conflict in Iran, however, is encouraging Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from escalating tensions.
After the drone attack on Nakhchivan, the two foreign ministers held a phone call where they “noted the importance of sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest,” according to a press release.
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