No suspension of Etihad Airways flights over Iran-controlled airspace

Etihad Airways is carefully monitoring the situation, following the emergency order on Thursday by US Federal Aviation Administration (USFAA) prohibiting US operators from flying in Iran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.

"Contingency plans are in place, and we will decide what further action is required after carefully evaluating the FAA directive to US carriers, an Etihad spokesperson told Khaleej Times on Friday.

"We are working closely with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority," the airline added.

The downing of the unarmed Global Hawk aircraft was the latest in a series of incidents in the Gulf region. US FAA said according to flight tracking applications, the nearest civil aircraft was operating within around 45 nautical miles of a US Global Hawk drone when it was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.