The German group, which also owns Austrian Airlines, said the flight ban was "due to the unclear security situation for the airspace around Tehran airport". American, British and Canadian officials say intelligence sources indicate Iran shot down the plane, perhaps unintentionally, but this has been denied by Tehran. A Lufthansa flight between Frankfurt and Tehran on Thursday turned back an hour after takeoff because of security concerns. Austrian Airlines meanwhile said late Thursday that its flight to Tehran that day was ordered to return to Vienna after a stopover in Sofia. READ ALSO: German union vows Lufthansa strike in coming days

Source: The Local January 10, 2020 13:30 UTC