Middle East Conflict Leaves Travellers Stranded
Last update: March 1, 2026
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Middle East airspace closures disrupt global air travel..
The biggest disruption to global air travel since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic continued on Sunday, with thousands of flights delayed or cancelled as countries across the Middle East shut their airspace following escalating hostilities between Iran, the United States and Israel.
Israel and Iran traded fresh attacks on Sunday after Tehran struck Dubai International Airport — the world’s busiest for international traffic — and Kuwait’s main airport a day earlier in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates announced at least partial airspace closures on Saturday, bringing civilian air traffic over the region to a halt.
Flight tracking website FlightAware said more than 6,700 flights had been delayed and about 1,900 cancelled globally as of 1000 GMT on Sunday, adding to thousands disrupted the previous day.
Iran closed its airspace “until further notice”, according to state media. Israel also shut its skies to civilian flights, while Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait suspended air traffic. The United Arab Emirates announced a partial and temporary closure, and Syria closed part of its southern airspace.
Major airlines cancelled services across the region.
Emirates and Etihad scrapped large portions of their schedules, while Qatar Airways suspended all flights from Doha. Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Air India and others cancelled routes to destinations including Tel Aviv, Dubai, Beirut, Amman and Tehran.
U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines suspended several Middle East services, while Air Canada halted flights to Israel and Dubai. African carriers including Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways also suspended selected routes.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium said Gulf carriers were among the hardest hit, with widespread cancellations as airlines rerouted aircraft to avoid conflict zones.
The closures mark the most significant shock to international aviation since the pandemic, as governments and airlines review security risks amid rapidly escalating regional tensions.
