Story ID: 
Azerbaijan Shuts Armenian Airspace as Conflict Escalates
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Airspace closure not yet confirmed by EASA amid reported use of surface-to-air missiles
Word Count: 252
Azerbaijan on Tuesday unilaterally closed airspace over neighboring Armenia after its troops launched what the country's defense ministry described as “anti-terrorist” operations in the disputed Nagono-Karabakh region, which borders the two countries. Dyami Security Intelligence confirmed that Azeri forces have begun to shell Armenian forces and that it received reports of the use of surface-to-air missiles.
As of early afternoon Central European Time, any indication of the airspace closure had yet to appear in EASA’s Conflict Zone Information Bulletin, which is intended to warn aircraft operators about such dangers, especially in the wake of the destruction of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by missiles over Ukrainian territory in July 2014. Some operators have noted that the EASA platform was also slow to confirm airspace threats in the wake of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Dyami told AIN it has advised its clients not to overfly any part of Armenia or Azerbaijan, extending the Dutch company’s security alert that on September 14 urged operators to avoid the MATAL, ELSIV, PEMAN, and VETEN waypoints. Osprey Flight Solutions last week issued a warning categorizing the border between the two Caucasus states, and specifically the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as “ high untreated risk airspace at all altitudes.”
Armenia and Azerbaijan have provided operators with an airspace corridor for flights between Europe and Asia as they seek to avoid the Russia-Ukraine war zone.
This story was updated to include the correct waypoints that operators should avoid.