Austria Joins Spain, Italy in Denying Airspace to U.S. Aircraft on Iran Attack Mission

Austria, a “neutral” country has denied access to its airspace for U.S. aircraft participating in a military operation against Iran.

“The question is why submit a request to a neutral state in the first place?” said Colonel Michael Bauer, spokesperson for Austria’s Ministry of Defence, commenting on the situation.

According to Politico, the country’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that it received requests to use Austrian airspace but rejected them immediately.

Under Austrian law, all foreign military aircraft must apply in advance for permission and specify the purpose of their flight before entering the country’s airspace.

Requests related to active combat operations are rejected, while transit or training missions may be considered on a case-by-case basis, the spokesperson said.

Austria has held the status of a ‘permanently neutral’ state since 1955, when, after adopting the relevant constitutional law, it secured the end of postwar occupation by the Soviet Union.

The document stipulates a commitment not to join military alliances and a prohibition on hosting foreign military bases on the country’s territory.

The coalition government of center-right Chancellor Christian Stocker has received positive feedback for its decision to close the airspace to U.S. military aircraft.

Earlier, on March 30, it was reported that Spain had closed its airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in the operation against Iran. The restrictions apply to both combat aircraft and refueling planes involved in the strikes.

Earlier Madrid, then Rome rejected all flight plans related to the operation in Iran. As a result, U.S. aircraft can no longer use the Spanish and Italian bases for refueling or as transit points.