LONDON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Airlines are largely avoiding

Iranian airspace in their flights over the Middle East,

according to flight tracker FlightRadar24, lengthening flight

times and hiking up fuel costs as worries over a retaliatory

attack from Israel targeting Iran grow.

Turmoil in the Middle East in the last year has led to

confusion and upheaval for aviation, prompting airlines to

frequently change routes as they reassess the safety of the

airspace in the region.

"Most airlines have rerouted flights away from Iran, with

the northern route taking flights through Azerbaijan,

Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India on their way to

Asia, and the southern route flying over Egypt and Saudi

Arabia," said FlightRadar24 spokesperson Ian Petchenik.

Some airlines have said they have resumed most of their

operations across the Middle East since Iran hit Israel with a

ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, leading to flight

cancellations and delays.

Petchenik said most strategic changes to flights to avoid

parts of the Middle East have been lifted in direct connection

with the Tuesday attack.

Late on Wednesday, German group Lufthansa said it

would resume flights to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan using a limited

amount of Iraqi airspace, and will resume using Jordanian

airspace on Thursday.

It added that flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Tehran will

remain suspended for the time being.