Transport Canada monitors and assesses the threats to flight routes used by passenger aircraft.
If a country does not properly manage risks to commercial aviation in its airspace, Transport Canada can issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) or an Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) to notify the aviation community about the risks. These notifications are used by Canadian air operators to plan flights and make decisions.
- A NOTAM is used when the information is temporary or time sensitive.
- If the information is valid for more than 90 days, the NOTAM will be added to an AIC. Otherwise, the NOTAM will expire.
There are 3 types of notices:
- Level 1 (Information) – Information about the risks of flying in, or through, a certain country
- Level 2 (Recommendation) – Advice to take certain action or not enter a certain country
- Level 3 (Ban) – Flights cannot enter a certain country
See below for the inventory of Transport Canada alerts for Canadian airlines flying near or over foreign conflict zones.
On this page
- Afghanistan
- Armenia/Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Moldova
- North Korea
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Ukraine
- Yemen
Afghanistan – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised to fly at least 32,000 feet above sea level when flying over Afghanistan
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are recommended to maintain a flight level equal to or above FL320 within the airspace of Afghanistan (Kabul FIR (OAKX)), due to the potential risk from extremist and militant activity and limited risk mitigation capabilities in Afghanistan.
Issued: 23 Aug 2024
Armenia/Azerbaijan – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised to take potential risk into account when flying over Armenia and Azerbaijan.
AIC text: Canadian air operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised to take all potential risk into account in risk assessment and flight routing decisions when operating in the airspace of Armenia (Yerevan Zvartnots FIR (UDDD)) and Azerbaijan (Baku FIR (UBBA)), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military aviation along the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Issued: 15 Sep 2022
Belarus – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are prohibited from flying over Belarus.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are prohibited from entering Belarus (Minsk (UMMV) FIR), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military operations in Ukraine and eastern Europe.
Issued: 19 Jan 2022, revised 12 Feb, 24 Feb, 25 Feb and 25 Mar 2022
Democratic Republic of Congo – NOTAM # H1527/25, G1039/25, F1275/25 – Canadian airlines are advised not to fly over the Democratic Republic of Congo.
NOTAM text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised not to enter the airspace of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa FIR (FZZA)), due to risk from anti-aircraft weaponry.
Issued: 31 Jan 2025
Haiti – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised not to operate below 10,000ft above sea level when flying over Haiti.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised to maintain a flight level equal to or above FL100 within Haitian airspace and FIR Port-Au-Prince (MTEG) due to potential risk to aviation from gang activity.
Issued: 25 Oct 2024, revised 15 Nov and 13 Dec 2024
Downgraded: 12 Feb 2025
Iran – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised not to fly over Iran.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised not to enter the airspace of Iran (Tehran FIR (OIIX)), due to the potential risk from military activity and anti-aviation weaponry in Iran.
Issued: 10 Jan 2020
Iraq – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised to fly at least 32,000 feet above sea level when flying over Iraq.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised to maintain a flight level equal to or above FL320 in the airspace of Iraq (Baghdad FIR (ORBB)), due to the potential risk from military activity and anti-aviation weaponry in Iraq.
Issued: 18 Nov 2021
Israel – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised to take potential risk into account when flying over Israel.
AIC text: Canadian air operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised to take all potential risk into account in risk assessment and flight routing decisions when operating in the airspace of Israel (Tel Aviv FIR (LLLL)), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military aviation in Israel.
Issued: 10 Oct 2023
Lebanon – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised not to fly over Lebanon.
AIC text: Canadian air operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised not to enter the airspace of Lebanon (Beirut FIR (OLBB)), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military aviation in Lebanon.
Issued: 1 August 2024
Libya – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised not to fly over Libya.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised not to enter the airspace of Libya (Tripoli FIR (HLLL)), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military operations created by the current level of instability in Libya.
Issued: 18 Feb 2020
Moldova – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are prohibited from flying over Moldovan airspace.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are prohibited from entering Moldova (Chisinau (LUUU) FIR), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military operations in Ukraine and eastern Europe.
Issued: 19 Jan 2022, revised 12 Feb, 24 Feb, 25 Feb and 25 Mar 2022
North Korea – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised not overfly North Korea.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised not to enter the airspace of North Korea (FIR Pyongyang (ZKKP)), due to the potential risk to aviation from ballistic missile launches without prior notice.
Issued: 19 Oct 2022
Russia – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are prohibited from operating in parts of western Russian airspace.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are prohibited from entering Rostov (URRV) FIR and are prohibited from operating within 200nm of the boundaries of FIR UKDV and FIR UKBV in Moscow (UUWV) FIR due to the potential risk associated with anti-aviation weaponry and military operations in Ukraine and eastern Europe.
Issued: 19 Jan 2022, revised 12 Feb, 24 Feb, 25 Feb and 25 Mar 2022
Saudi Arabia – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised to take potential risk into account when flying over Saudi Arabia.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised to take all potential risk information into account in risk assessment and flight routing decisions in Saudi airspace (Jeddah FIR (OEJD)), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military operations in Saudi Arabia. ESCAT (Emergency Security Control of Air Traffic) rules may be activated by NOTAM from the Saudi authorities in the southwest area of FIR OEJD.
Issued: 10 Aug 2023
Somalia – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised to fly at least 26,000 feet above sea level when flying over Somalia.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised to maintain a flight level equal to or above FL260 within Somali airspace (Mogadishu FIR (HCSM)), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military operations in Somalia.
Issued: 9 Feb 2021
Sudan – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised not to fly over Sudan.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised not to enter the airspace of Sudan (Khartoum FIR (HSSS)), due to the potential risk from anti-aircraft weaponry and military operations in Sudan.
Issued: 18 May 2023
Syria – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are prohibited from flying in Syrian airspace.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are prohibited from entering the airspace of Syria (Damascus FIR (OSTT)), due to the potential risk from anti-aviation weaponry and military operations in Syria.
Issued: 9 Feb 2020, revised 26 Dec 2024
Ukraine – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are prohibited from operating in Ukrainian airspace.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are prohibited from entering Ukrainian airspace, (Dnipropetrovsk (UKDV), Kiev (UKBV), L’viv (UKLV), Odesa (UKOV) and Simferopol (UKFV) FIRs), due to the potential risk associated with anti-aviation weaponry and military operations in Ukraine and eastern Europe.
Issued: 19 Jan 2022, revised 12 Feb, 24 Feb, 25 Feb and 25 Mar 2022
Yemen – Aeronautical Information Circular 012/2025 – Canadian airlines are advised not to fly over certain areas of Yemen.
AIC text: Canadian Air Operators and owners of aircraft registered in Canada are advised not to enter the airspace of Yemen (Sana’a FIR (OYSC)) northwest of the line created by the waypoints TIMAD and NODMA, due to potential risks from anti-aviation weaponry and military operations.
Issued: 9 Feb 2021, revised 26 Dec 2024