Air travel across the Middle East and beyond was severely disrupted Saturday after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting several countries to shut their airspace and close major airports linking Europe, Africa and the West with Asia.
Airports across the region remained closed Sunday as the conflict entered its second day. Emirates suspended all flights to and from Dubai until at least Sunday afternoon. Qatar Airways said operations at Qatar’s main airport would remain halted until at least Monday morning. Israeli airspace also stayed closed.
The sweeping closures have left tens of thousands of passengers stranded worldwide.
Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain shut their airspace Saturday, forcing hundreds of thousands of travelers to either delay journeys or divert to alternative airports. According to flight tracking site FlightRadar24, there was no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates following a government announcement of a “temporary and partial” airspace closure.
Major hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were shut down, leading to more than 1,800 flight cancellations by key regional carriers. The three major airlines operating from those hubs — Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways — typically handle around 90,000 transit passengers daily, aviation analytics firm Cirium said.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates reported incidents at two airports, condemning what they described as a “blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles.” Officials at Dubai International Airport said four people were injured, while Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport reported one fatality and seven injuries following a drone strike. Strikes were also reported at Kuwait International Airport.
Although Iran did not officially claim responsibility, Gulf states said retaliatory strikes attributed to Tehran extended beyond previously declared American military targets.
Aviation analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, warned travelers to expect continued disruption. “There’s no way to soften this. Passengers should be prepared for delays and cancellations over the next few days,” he said.
Airlines rerouting flights to avoid the conflict are diverting aircraft south over Saudi Arabia, adding hours to journeys and increasing fuel consumption. Prolonged disruption could drive up ticket prices. The added traffic is also expected to strain Saudi air traffic control services, while countries closing their skies will lose overflight fee revenue.
Mike McCormick, a former U.S. air traffic control official now teaching at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said limited reopening of certain airspace sectors may be possible in the coming days once military flight paths are clarified and missile threats reassessed.
However, the duration of the disruption remains uncertain. By comparison, a previous Israeli and U.S. strike on Iran in June 2025 lasted 12 days.
Airlines worldwide urged passengers to check flight status before traveling to airports. Some carriers issued waivers allowing affected travelers to rebook without additional fees.
At least 145 aircraft bound for destinations such as Tel Aviv and Dubai were diverted to cities including Athens, Istanbul and Rome, according to FlightAware. Some flights returned to their departure points, including one that flew nearly 15 hours from Philadelphia to Spain before turning back.
India’s aviation authorities classified much of Middle Eastern airspace as high risk, prompting cancellations by several airlines. Air India suspended all flights to the region. Turkish Airlines halted services to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan until Monday, and also suspended flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines and United Airlines paused Tel Aviv flights through the weekend. KLM had earlier suspended operations to and from Tel Aviv.
Other airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, Transavia and Pegasus Airlines, canceled flights to Lebanon, while American Airlines suspended services from Philadelphia to Doha.
Virgin Atlantic said it would avoid Iraqi airspace, potentially lengthening flights to India, the Maldives and Riyadh. British Airways suspended services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until next week and canceled flights to Amman on Saturday.
Analysts cautioned that travelers should brace for ongoing uncertainty. “If you haven’t left yet, you may not be traveling for several days, if not longer,” Harteveldt said, advising those attempting to return home to explore alternative routes as disruptions persist.