Iran poses ‘real’ threat of downing passenger plane officials warn as commander boasts he could have attacked US plane but didn’t

IRAN poses a "real" threat of downing passenger plane, officials and experts have warned.

The warning follows the tensions between the US and Iran after a US drone was shot down and comes as one Iranian commander boasted he could have attacked a manned US plane but didn’t.

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British Airways, KLM, Qantas and Lufthansa have confirmed that they will not fly over Iranian airspace, following advice from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) banning all US carriers from the route.

Both Opsgroup, which provides guidance to operators, and the Federal Aviation Administration have warned of dangers to civilian aircraft.

“The threat of a civil aircraft shootdown in southern Iran is real,” said Opsgroup.

“Sam missiles are now being fired in the area, and that represents an escalation in risk. It appears a 787 was very close to the missile site this morning.

“Avoiding the Strait of Hormuz area is recommended – misidentification of aircraft is possible.”

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the nearest civil aircraft was operating within around 45 nautical miles of the unmanned aircraft when it was shot down.

“There were numerous civil aviation aircraft operating in the area at the time of the intercept,' it said, adding that its prohibition would stay in place until further notice.”

Meanwhile the commander of the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force said Iran could have shot down manned US jet instead of the drone.

Amir Ali Hajizadeh his forces could have shot down a US P8 aircraft with 35 personnel on board while it was violating Iran’s airspace.

But Iran decided to shoot down the drone to only send a message to Washington, the I

A statement from the FAA which was said: "The FAA has issued a Notice to Airmen (#NOTAM) prohibiting U.S.-registered aircraft from operating over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The NOTAM applies to all U.S. air carriers and commercial operators."

British Airways has followed the advice and are to avoid the area mentioned.

Flights will continue to operate, with routes such as Dubai and India most likely to be affected, but will take alternate routes.

A BA spokesperson told Sun Online Travel: "Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate."

KLM is to avoid flying over parts of Iran as a precautionary measure, a spokesman following a report by the Netherlands’ state broadcaster NOS.

The said that the company decided to reroute flights following a decision last night by the FAA to stop American operators from flying over Tehran-controlled airspace.

A spokesperson for the airline told Sun Online Travel: "Safety is the top priority for KLM. We closely follow all developments that may be related to the safety of airspace 24/7 and organize our operation in such a way that the safety of the flights is guaranteed.

"As a result of the incident with the drone, we are not flying over the Strait of Hormuz for the time being. This is a precautionary measure."

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Qantas are to also stop flying over Iranian airspace, with a spokesperson telling Sun Online Travel: "We’re adjusting our flight paths over the Middle East to avoid the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman until further notice."

Flight routes thought to be affected are between London and Australia.

According , Lufthansa will no longer fly planes over the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman as well.

While airlines state flight times will be minimally affected, passengers could face delays on their flights.

Following the closed airspace in Pakistan earlier this year, flights were taking up to an hour longer, despite travellers not being informed.

Trump, who has said he wants to avoid war and negotiate with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, appeared to play down the significance of the shootdown.

He cast it as "a new wrinkle ... a new fly in the ointment" while also saying "this country will not stand for it, that I can tell you."

Air Force Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, commander of US Central Command air forces in the region, took a more pointed view of the incident.

He said: "This attack is an attempt to disrupt our ability to monitor the area following recent threats to international shipping and free flow of commerce."

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The £102million US surveillance drone was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz

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