CO N F L I C T Z O N E S Conflict zones Flying commercial airliners near to regions at war involves an inherent risk, as notable tragedies have shown, but we can minimise that risk with some careful precautions By First Officer Rebecca Lougheed B e honest, how many times have you swept your eyes over one of the lengthy State NOTAMs filling your briefing pack and thought, why is that in here? They clog up the pages (not to mention your brain) with endless information that then detracts from the NOTAMs you do need to read. More worrying, however, is that they can lead to a sense of complacency regarding these regions when you do fly over them and thats an issue, because the risk from overflight of a conflict zone is a very significant concern for commercial aviation. Lets look at some current conflict zones, why they are considered a risk, and potential mitigations. First up, flying for a UK-based airline means that UK-state-issued warnings and prohibitions (most likely) apply to your operation. They are contained within the UK AIP ENR section and fall under three levels: Level 1: Information Level 2: Recommendation/restriction Level 3: Prohibition There is also Level 4: Strong recommendations, which are those issued by states without a legal basis to prohibit flight. As we all know, the UK does not fall under EASA any more, but its Conflict Zone Information Bulletins (CZIBs) are an excellent resource, and include the most up-to-date UK advice anyway. So, if you need an official information resource on current conflict zones, these are a good place to head. There are currently 11 active CZIBs, although there are more places in the world than this in a state of conflict, so a lack of a CZIB should not lead you to think that other spots do not represent a risk to aviation. Mexico, Venezuela, Iran, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea and Israel all have notable levels of civil unrest, tensions with neighbours, gang violence, a lack of 32 THE LOG Autumn 24 pp32-35 Conflict Zones.indd 32 13/11/2024 14:28