Airlines, including MAS, face higher fuel bills as they avoid Iran, Iraq

FILE PHOTO: Qantas aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2018. Picture taken November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

Airlines are facing higher fuel bills as they reroute flights to avoid airspace over Iran and Iraq due to recent heightened tension between Washington and Tehran, adding further financial pressure to an industry already contending with the prolonged grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX jets.

Germany's Lufthansa AG, Air France-KLM SA, Singapore Airlines Ltd and Malaysia Airlines have redirected flights from airspace in the region after Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq. A Ukraine jetliner also crashed in Tehran, although the cause is not yet known.