Iran reopened its skies late Wednesday after a near–five-hour shutdown that rippled through global aviation networks.

The airspace closure — imposed at 5:15 p.m. local time — barred all flights except those entering or leaving Iran with explicit government permission, according to a notice posted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Airlines were forced to cancel, reroute, or delay flights as uncertainty mounted over whether the standoff between Washington and Tehran could tip into direct military confrontation.

The FAA notice was quietly lifted shortly before 10 p.m. local time, flight-tracking data shows. Within minutes, aircraft operated by Iranian carriers including Mahan Air, Yazd Airways, and AVA Airlines began reappearing in Iranian airspace, according to Flightradar24.

The contrast was stark: at roughly the same hour one week earlier, dozens of commercial aircraft were traversing Iranian skies. During the shutdown, that traffic all but vanished.

The temporary halt came as Donald Trump weighs how — and whether — the United States should respond to rapidly escalating unrest inside Iran, where the regime is confronting its largest wave of anti-government protests in years. While no direct military action has been announced, the airspace closure signaled the level of concern among Iranian authorities over potential escalation.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)