Commercial airlines on Wednesday rerouted flights crossing the
Middle East to avoid possible danger amid escalating tensions between the
United States and Iran.
Changed flight plans were expected to inconvenience as many as 15,000 passengers per day, lengthen flight times by an average of 30 to 90 minutes and severely bruise the aviation industry's bottom line, analysts said.
The flight restrictions reflected fears that the conflict between the longtime foes could ratchet up following Iranian ballistic
missile strikes Tuesday on two Iraqi bases that house U.S. troops.