EU aviation agency issues safety note over Caspian missiles
By Associated Press
Oct 12, 2015 7:50 AM CDT

BERLIN (AP) — The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued a safety bulletin to airlines and authorities regarding Iranian and Iraqi airspace after Russian warships in the Caspian Sea last week fired cruise missiles toward Syria.

EASA said in a bulletin dated Friday that "before reaching Syria, such missiles are necessarily crossing the airspace above (the) Caspian Sea, Iran and Iraq, below flight routes" used by commercial aircraft.

The agency says it has no specific recommendations at this point and was issuing the bulletin to inform airspace users about the potential hazard. EASA said it will be amended "if more specific information is received" about the situation.

Russia said last week that it was using warships in the Caspian Sea to target the Islamic State group in Syria.

Air France said Monday that it "has temporarily applied special rules with regard to overflying Iran and the Caspian Sea." It said they were implemented Saturday following its security division's recommendations.

The airline didn't elaborate in a brief statement, but noted that it doesn't fly over Syria and Iraq anyway.