Incident: Air Space Closure, Sudan

The Sudanese government denied the UN air space access over Darfur, preventing Jan Egeland (UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator) from overflying the area on his way to Chad to visit refugees. This is the latest in the building tensions between Khartoum and the UN.

Aside from the high-level politics, this situation does raise interesting logistical and security considerations. What if a host government suddenly restricts the air space in an area your organization is working in? If you're using helicopters or fixed wing aircraft, do you have contingency plans in place to continue operations? What new risks might an air space closure bring?