*

Safe Airspace website warns of increased risks to US

airlines

*

Israel reopens airspace 1100 to 1700 GMT

*

Israel's El Al, Arkia, Israir to resume rescue flights for

those

stranded, six hours after earlier halt

*

(Adds Air Haifa resuming flights in paragraph 16)

By Jamie Freed and Steven Scheer

June 22 (Reuters) - An organisation that monitors flight

risks warned on Sunday that U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear sites

could heighten the threat to American operators in the region as

airlines continued to avoid large parts of the Middle East due

to ongoing missile exchanges.

But following a barrage of early morning Iranian missiles,

Israel has reopened its airspace for six hours on Sunday to

bring back those stranded abroad since the conflict with Iran

began on June 13.

Safe Airspace, a membership-based website run by OPSGROUP,

said the U.S. attacks on Iran may increase risks to U.S.

operators in the region.

"While there have been no specific threats made against

civil aviation, Iran has previously warned it would retaliate by

attacking US military interests in the Middle East - either

directly or via proxies such as Hezbollah," Safe Airspace said.

Meanwhile, flight tracking website FlightRadar24, said

airlines maintained flight diversions around the region.

"Following US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities,

commercial traffic in the region is operating as it has since

new airspace restrictions were put into place last week," it

said on social media platform X.

Its website showed airlines were not flying in the airspace

over Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. They have chosen other

routings such as north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt

and Saudi Arabia, even if these result in higher fuel and crew

costs and longer flight times.

Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of

conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline

traffic.

Since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 13, carriers

have suspended flights to destinations in the affected

countries, though there have been some evacuation flights from

neighbouring nations and some bringing stranded Israelis home.

In the days before the U.S. strikes, American Airlines ( AAL )

suspended flights to Qatar and United Airlines

did the same with flights to Dubai.

Safe Airspace said it was possible airspace risks could now

extend to countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. "We continue to

advise a high degree of caution at this time," it said.

RESCUE AND EVACUATION FLIGHTS

Israel's carriers, El Al Israel Airlines, Arkia,

Israir and Air Haifa, said earlier on Sunday they had

suspended rescue flights that allowed people to return to Israel

until further notice.

El Al said it would also extend its cancellation of

scheduled flights through Friday and Israir said it had halted

the sale of tickets for all flights through July 7.

A spokesperson for Israel's airports authority said the

country's main airport, Ben Gurion near Tel Aviv, was expected

to reopen for rescue flight landings on Sunday between 1100 and

1700 GMT. The small Haifa Airport serving Israel's north would

also be open from 1100 to 1700 GMT.

Flag carrier El Al, along with Arkia, Air Haifa and Israir

said they would operate at least 10 flights on Sunday starting

at 1100 GMT.

Tens of thousands of Israelis and others who had booked

tickets to Israel are stuck abroad.

At the same time, nearly 40,000 tourists in Israel are

looking to leave the country, some of whom are going via

Jordan's borders to Amman and Aqaba and others via Egypt and by

boat to Cyprus.

"In accordance with security directives, we are working to

bring Israelis home as quickly as possible," Israel's Transport

Minister Miri Regev said in a statement.

Japan's foreign ministry said on Sunday it had evacuated 21

people, including 16 Japanese nationals, from Iran overland to

Azerbaijan. It said it was the second such evacuation since

Thursday and that it would conduct further evacuations if

necessary.

New Zealand's government said on Sunday it would send a

Hercules military transport plane to the Middle East on standby

to evacuate New Zealanders from the region.

It said in a statement that government personnel and a

C-130J Hercules aircraft would leave Auckland on Monday. The

plane would take some days to reach the region, it said.

The government was also in talks with commercial airlines to

assess how they may be able to assist, it added.