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The Middle East\u2019s commercial aviation sector remains grounded for a third day with airspace closed and operations suspended at major airports following the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks. <\/p>\n
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As of Monday 2 March, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were among the nations that announced at least partial closures of their skies. This has forced widespread flight suspensions, cancellations and diversions, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded around the world.<\/p>\n
The conflict has led to the closure of key airport hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.<\/p>\n
Posting on X on Monday, flight tracking website Flightradar24<\/a> said that currently more than 2,000 flights to and from seven key airports in the Gulf area have been cancelled. The airports are Dubai International, Hamad International Airport in Doha, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah International Airport, Kuwait International Airport, Bahrain International Airport, and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International.<\/p>\n \u2018No one really knows what\u2019s going on\u2019<\/p>\n It is unclear how long the disruption to flight operations could last \u2013 which leaves passengers in travel limbo<\/a>. <\/p>\n Jonathan Escott and his fiance had arrived at the airport in Newcastle, England, on Saturday only to find out that his direct flight to Dubai on Emirates was cancelled, leaving everyone on the flight stuck there. Escott left to go back to where he was staying with family, about an hour from the airport, but has no idea when he may be able to travel. <\/p>\n \u201cNo one knows,\u201d Escott said. \u201cNo one really knows what\u2019s going on with the conflict, really. Not Emirates, Emirates don\u2019t have a clue. No one has a clue.\u201d<\/p>\n Incidents at regional aviation hubs<\/p>\n In retaliation to the strikes by the US and Israel<\/a>, Iran launched a series of attacks on Israel and Gulf nations that host US military bases \u2013 Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar<\/a> and the UAE. <\/p>\n The three major airlines in the Gulf \u2013 Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways \u2013 typically have about 90,000 passengers per day crossing through those hubs and even more travellers headed to destinations in the Middle East, according to aviation analytics company Cirium. <\/p>\n Two airports in the UAE reported incidents as the government there condemned what it called a \u201cblatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles\u201d on Saturday. <\/p>\n Officials at Dubai International Airport \u2013 the largest in the UAE and one of the busiest in the world \u2013 said four people were injured, while Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi said that one person was killed and seven others were injured in a drone strike. Strikes were also reported at Kuwait International Airport. <\/p>\n Though Iran did not publicly claim responsibility, the scope of retaliatory strikes that Gulf nations attributed to Iran extended beyond the American bases that it previously said it would target. <\/p>\n \u201cFor travellers, there\u2019s no way to sugarcoat this,\u201d says Henry Harteveldt, an airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group. \u201cYou should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end.\u201d<\/p>\n Operations remain suspended<\/p>\n Airports across the Middle East remained closed on Monday as the conflict moved into its third day. The situation is changing quickly and airlines urged passengers to check their flight status online before heading to the airport. <\/p>\n Dubai Airports confirmed that all flight operations at Dubai International and Dubai World Central \u2013 Al Maktoum International were suspended until further notice. Due to the multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai, up until 3 pm local time (12 pm CET) on Tuesday 3 March.<\/p>\n All aircraft movements at Hamad International Airport in Doha have been suspended due to the temporary closure of the Qatari airspace. The country\u2019s flag carrier, Qatar Airways, will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace. The airline said a further update will be provided on Tuesday by 9 am local time (7 am CET).<\/p>\n Etihad Airways said that all flights to and from Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi are suspended until 2 pm local time (11 am CET) on Tuesday 3 March.<\/p>\n At least 145 planes that were en route to cities like Tel Aviv and Dubai early Saturday were diverted to airports in cities like Athens, Istanbul or Rome, according to FlightAware. Others turned around and returned to where they took off from. One plane spent nearly 15 hours in the air after leaving Philadelphia and getting all the way to Spain before turning around and returning to where it started. <\/p>\n Numerous airlines cancelled international flights to Dubai through the weekend, as India\u2019s civil aviation agency designated much of the Middle East \u2013 including skies above Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon \u2013 as a high-security risk zone at all altitudes. <\/p>\n