Question for Pilots: Flying Through/Around "Uncivil" Airspace

[CrashManII]

Have always wondered how pilots--commercial or otherwise--deal with flying in areas where there is civil unrest, ie. current Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, Iran, North Korea etc.

At high enough altitudes can you fly a commercial airliner over the country, do you have to log the flight with approval from the country's airspace, or do you simply have to go around it?

I realize that most, if not all, of these countries have functioning commercial airports---so how does that figure into the equation?

Any interesting stories are always appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Dash8driver1312]

Your operations department draws up flight plans according where is deemed safe to fly. For example, one European airline, for it's Ukrainean destinations, now selects landing alternates that are neither in Ukraine nor Russia.

If it's not safe enough, you simply fly around and the company tells you so.

[CrashManII]

Dash8, thanks for the info regarding who decides where you fly. But a bit further, do commercials typically fly over some of the countries listed?

I have a Kurdish friend currently visiting family in Northwest Iraq, his hometown is about 40 miles from Syria and 40 miles from Turkey. He flies into Turkey and crosses over by land. At what point and how close to trouble spots do commercials typically fly?

From what I can tell--you can't fly in/out of Damascus, but it appears that I can still book a flight from London to Kiev.

[redsnail]

I've recently flown over Iran (Moscow to Dubai). The company filed the plan at least a day before and got all the over flight permits. When approaching that airspace, just call with the details that they want and no problems.

Russia and Ukraine airspace always require overflight permits. (Can be a pain to get in a hurry).

Israeli airspace is very tightly protected.

[Rick777]

Pilots still have to pay attention. In 1988 I was flying a charter from Ireland to Yemen and dispatch filed us over various Soviet bloc countries with no over flight clearances. We decided to spend an extra day in Ireland until they got it right.

[CrashManII]

Had forgotten I'd posted this question---seems a little more important after what happened over Ukraine. Have airlines become more restrictive in the past month?

[Denti]

Not only since then. My outfit didn't plan any flights through ukrainian airspace well before that, since the start of the new hostilities in israel flights to tel aviv have not been mandatory duties (just call in a day before and decline that tour, no problem at all) and iraq is banned airspace for us as well since ISIL has been on the offensive.