Qantas diverts Perth-London route to avoid Israeli airspace amid Iran tensions

Qantas is re-routing its longest flight to avoid dangerous airspace amid fears of an imminent Iranian attack on Israel.

Escalating tensions in the Middle East have prompted Qantas to add a Singapore stopover to its longest route in order to avoid Israeli airspace.

Qantas is re-routing its longest flight to avoid dangerous airspace amid fears of an imminent Iranian attack on Israel.

The airline’s QF9 service from Perth to London will stop to refuel in Singapore, but the return flight (QF10) will be unaffected due to prevailing winds.

An Israeli airstrike destroyed the consular section of Iran's embassy in Damascus, killing or wounding everyone inside, Syrian state media said. Photo / AP

”We’re temporarily adjusting the flight paths for our flights between Perth and London due to the situation in parts of the Middle East,” a Qantas spokeswoman said in a statement on Saturday.

Fears of an Iranian strike on Israel have been mounting, after Israel bombed an Iranian embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, killing a top general and six other military officers.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the strike tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil and said Israel “must be punished, and it shall be”.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said on Friday she had spoken with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and urged his nation to “use its influence in the region to promote stability, not contribute to escalation”.

The Qantas spokeswoman told AAP reports the airline had paused or cancelled flights were incorrect.

”We’ll reach out to customers directly if there’s any change to their booking,” she said.

QF9 will operate as QF209 due to the adjusted flight path, and the airline will monitor the situation in the coming days for any further route adjustments.