A recent Flight Radar24 image showing live global air traffic sparked alarm online after users spotted “four glaring holes” that eerily resembled a skull. One user asked, *“Anyone else see the skull face?”* while another compared it to *“my kid’s jack o’ lantern.”*
These gaps have real explanations tied to safety, geography, and conflict zones:
* **Ukraine (Left Eye):** Airspace has been closed since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Even before that, airlines avoided the region after the 2014 Malaysian Airlines tragedy.
* **Middle East (Nose):** Airlines are avoiding airspace due to rising tensions, especially after Israel’s strike on Iran and ongoing violence in Gaza.
* **Tibet (Right Eye):** Flights rarely pass over due to extreme terrain. If a plane loses pressure, pilots can’t safely descend—Tibet is already about 10,000 feet above sea level.
* **Central Africa (Mouth):** Civil unrest and conflict in places like Sudan, Libya, and northern Mali make the region risky for flights.
Though visually unsettling, the skull-like pattern is a result of real geopolitical and geographical factors—not a glitch in the system.