Dutch airline KLM avoids Middle East due to rising tensions

Airline KLM will avoid flying over large parts of the Middle East until further notice due to rising tensions there, the Dutch arm of airline ‌group Air France KLM said on Saturday.



KLM did not specify what provoked the decision. Fears of a conflict between the United States and Iran are growing, however, after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets to the Middle East.



A senior Iranian official said on Friday that Iran would treat any attack "as an all-out war against us".



"As a precaution, given the geopolitical situation, KLM will not fly through the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Israel and will not fly over several countries in the Gulf region," a KLM spokesperson said.



"This means KLM will not fly to Dubai, Riyadh, Dammam and Tel Aviv until further notice," the spokesperson added.