Airline pilots are faced with increasing stress as the war continues to spread. They must contend with drones and missiles.

In recent years, airline pilots have been faced with a growing number of risks. From drone incursions to conflict-induced flight paths, the dangers are increasing. The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran have made the skies more dangerous, increasing the pressure for those who fly through them.

As a result of the 'outbreak of war' in the Middle East, hundreds of ballistic rockets and attack drones have been launched above some of the busiest airports around the globe. Tehran has retaliated against the U.S., and its allies by hitting airports. Scores of flights were grounded from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. A small number of rescue flights have been able to reach thousands of passengers.

Eight pilots and more than half a dozen aviation and security experts said that the accumulation of conflicts, from Ukraine to Afghanistan to Israel has increased the burden for pilots. They are forced to manage a shrinking airspace as well as the use of military drones away from active war zones. This has increased the stress on pilots who are desperate to ensure the safety of themselves and their passengers.

"We aren't military pilots." Tanja Harter is a Middle East-experienced pilot and the president of the European Cockpit Association.

She said that the current crisis was the latest of a series of security threats to the aviation sector over the years. This could cause pilots "fear and worry." She said that airlines have peer-to-peer programs, and as a pilot, she would not want "to share airspace with missiles."

Industry experts say that airspace safety has deteriorated over the past two and a half years due to an increase in conflicts. This is due to a combination GPS spoofing, which involves intentionally tricking planes as their location, and increased drones and missiles.

Air France's flight from the United Arab Emirates to return stranded French nationals was forced to turn back on Thursday due to missiles. On Friday, a Lufthansa flight diverted to Cairo from Riyadh due to regional security concerns.

FLYING HIGHER IS THE BEST WAY TO AVOID MISSILES

The head of Lebanon's Civil Aviation said that pilots trained in the Middle East have grown accustomed to emergency situations. The escalating war put these skills to the ultimate test. On March 5, video footage showed smoke rising from buildings in Beirut as planes took off.

"Lebanon's Civil Aviation Authority Director General, Captain Mohammed Aziz said that Middle East pilots are always facing crises. We trained them from the beginning on how to handle contingencies, emergency situations and other things."

No one can guarantee they won't or won't bomb an airport.

One Middle East Airlines pilot with over a decade's experience says routes to Beirut are more complicated. He said that shoulder-fired missiles used by the Lebanese army had a maximum range of 15,000. Pilots therefore increased their altitude in order to avoid being hit. They also carried extra fuel to be prepared in case of a forced divert.

Most missile strikes are still far enough away to not be a threat, and most pilots are too busy to even think about them.

He said, "You are so busy on the plane making sure that you have permission to land and everything is in order that you don't even have time to think about what's going on outside the plane."

DRONES DISRUPT EUROPEAN AERIALPORTS

Risques are not limited to the Middle East. Drones have been a major weapon for both sides since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Drone disruptions have been reported in airports from Stockholm to Munich - though the cause has not yet been confirmed.

Airline Captain Christian von D'Ahe is concerned by this 'emerging' threat. He has been a commercial pilot for over 15 years, and is the head of the Danish Air Line Pilots Association.

Von D'Ahe stated that drones were not easy to detect. We can see them flying in the sky, and they are very small. "So sooner or later something will happen."

Drones that damage an aircraft's wings or engines can cause a total loss of power.

Drones, on the other hand, do not emit any signal. This leaves pilots in a 'dark place. Airport radars are unable to detect drones. There are specialised radars, but they are usually operated by the military or law enforcement.

Dedrone, which produces counterdrone technologies, reported that there will be over 1.2 millions drone?violations? in the U.S. by 2025.

There's not much you can do

Airports can counter drones using radar, frequency sensors, and jamming devices, while other systems can "spoof them off their course". Airports are not allowed to shoot down drones due to safety concerns.

Tim Friebe is an air traffic controller based in Germany, and vice president of the Air Traffic Controllers European Unions Coordination. He said that drones are a growing threat to airports.

We have reports from pilots or controllers who spot drones. He said that there is not much one can do other than shutting down an airport.

According to a half dozen industry officials, drones caused the closure of some of the biggest airports in the world, from Munich to London Gatwick, last year. This prompted operators to upgrade their foreign object detection and drone detection systems.

Moritz Burger is a German commercial pilot who recalled seeing an object which looked like a ballon with a structure beneath it as he was about to arrive at a European Airport.

I was looking out of the window when an object passed just below our plane. He said that he could only see it for a maximum of two seconds. It was a startling sight and he had no time to react.

When you come across a near miss or a passing object, the time is too short to react. It is therefore unrealistic to think that pilots can fly around an object of this size. "There's not much we can do."

(source: Reuters)