The US and Israeli attack on Iran has caused massive disruption to flights in the Middle East and beyond, with a number of countries closing their airspace and three key airports connecting Europe, Africa and the West with Asia suspending operations, the Associated Press reports.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded or rerouted after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace.
There were also no flights over the United Arab Emirates, according to traffic tracking site FlightRadar24, after authorities announced a "temporary and partial" closure of airspace.
This led to the suspension of operations at key airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha and the cancellation of more than 1,800 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines. Three of them – Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad – usually carry about 90,000 passengers a day through these hubs, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Later on Saturday, Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest, reported four injuries. Emirates condemned the incident, calling it an "apparent Iranian ballistic missile attack." Strikes were also reported at other commercial airports in the region, including Kuwait International Airport.
“For passengers, there's no way to hide the truth,” said Henry Harteveld, an aviation analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group. “You should be prepared for delays or cancellations over the next few days as these attacks continue and hopefully end.”
Rerouting routes and risk of ticket price increases
Airlines flying through the region are being forced to reroute, with many flights diverting south over Saudi Arabia. This adds hours to travel times and increases fuel costs. With a prolonged conflict, ticket prices could start to rise.
The additional traffic will also put a strain on air traffic control in Saudi Arabia, which could lead to delays to safety. Countries that have closed their airspace will lose revenue from overflight fees.
Mike McCormick, a former head of air traffic control at the US Federal Aviation Administration and current professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said a partial opening of airspace is possible in the coming days.
"Those countries will be able to assess and say, 'Okay, we can reopen this part of our airspace, but we're going to leave this part closed,'" McCormick said.
“I think in the next 24 to 36 hours we will see how the use of airspace evolves as the kinetic activity becomes more clearly defined and Iran’s ability to launch missiles and create additional risk is reduced as a result of the attacks.”
It is clear how long the outputs will last. For comparison, the previous escalation in June 2025 lasted 12 days.
Redirected and returned flights
According to FlightAware, at least 145 planes bound for Tel Aviv and Dubai were diverted to Athens, Istanbul or Rome, while others returned to their airports of origin. One flight from Philadelphia spent nearly 15 hours in the air, reached Spain and then turned back.
Many airlines have canceled flights to Dubai and other destinations in the region. India's aviation authority has declared much of the Middle East airspace a high-risk zone. Air India has canceled all flights to the region. Turkish Airlines has suspended flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan, as well as Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman.
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have suspended flights to Tel Aviv for at least the weekend. Dutch carrier KLM announced earlier this week that it was suspending flights to and from the Israeli city. Lufthansa, Air France, Transavia and Pegasus have canceled flights to Lebanon, and American Airlines has suspended its Philadelphia-Doha route.
British Airways said it was suspending flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until next week, while flights to Amman were canceled on Saturday. Virgin Atlantic said it would avoid flights over Iraq, extending
“Travelers should expect a lot of disruption,” Harteveld said. "Honestly, if you haven't left home yet, you probably won't if you have to travel to or through these destinations for at least a few days, if not longer. And if you're returning home, you're going to have to be very inventive to get there."
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