Air Canada adjusts route to Dubai after restrictions in Gulf region

TORONTO — Air Canada’s flights to its sole destination in the Gulf region have been rerouted to avoid Iraqi air space due to the military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran, the airline said Wednesday.

“As a result of the current uncertain situation in the Middle East, like many international carriers, Air Canada has taken precautionary measures. It is rerouting its five-times-weekly flight to Dubai,” the airline said in a statement.

Air Canada didn’t provide details but the Associated Press reported earlier that Air Canada had rerouted a flight Wednesday from Toronto to Dubai through Egypt and Saudi Arabia to avoid travelling over Iraq.

The airline does not fly directly to locations in Iran or Iraq and hasn’t flown over Iranian air space since last summer.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration told U.S. carriers in June to avoid Iranian air space after a U.S. surveillance drone was shot down. It issued a new advisory on Tuesday to add Iraqi air space to its areas to avoid.

Transport Canada said Air Canada is the only Canadian airline with routes affected by the latest ban on flights by U.S. commercial carriers.

Aircanada.ca indicated the airline’s direct flight to Toronto from Dubai on Wednesday left on time just before midnight local time and was expected to arrive nearly an hour later than originally scheduled today. The airline also has an agreement with Lufthansa, which takes passengers from Dubai to Frankfurt where they can make connections with Air Canada flights to Toronto.

WestJet partner Emirates Airline said its scheduled flights between Dubai and the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, were cancelled Wednesday for operational reasons.