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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Jonathan Yerushalmy

Flying in the new age of conflict – the hotspots diverting flights and leaving pilots blind

The Illustration shows a world globe, with planes flying in random routes and hot spots over the world.
New and emerging conflicts – from Ukraine, to Iran and across the Middle East – have placed greater pressure on airlines as they are forced to navigate narrower areas of airspace. Composite: Guardian Design/Getty images

The first indication that something was wrong came when the clock on the flight deck began to go backwards. The aircraft was cruising thousands of metres above Israel and as the crew noticed the error, they checked their GPS signal. The plane’s internal instruments showed it was flying at just 1,500ft, well below the cruising altitude of 38,000ft it should have been at.

Seconds later, alarms began to sound and lights flashed throughout the cockpit.

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