By Obinna Uballa
Air travel across the Middle East has been plunged into unprecedented disruption after Iran launched retaliatory strikes following coordinated United States and Israeli attacks, forcing widespread airspace closures and grounding hundreds of flights worldwide.
Major international carriers, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates, have cancelled or rerouted services to key regional hubs, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and triggering ripple effects across Europe, Asia and beyond.
All flights in and out of Dubai’s two main gateways – Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport – were suspended as authorities closed airspace amid fears of further escalation.
Airlines Ground Operations
Emirates announced it had halted all operations in and out of Dubai until 15:00 local time on Sunday, citing regional airspace closures. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways also suspended outbound flights until 14:00 local time.
British Airways cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday and warned that flights between Heathrow and destinations including Abu Dhabi, Amman, Doha and Dubai could face disruption for days.
Virgin Atlantic suspended its Heathrow -Riyadh route on Sunday after earlier cancelling Dubai services. The airline cautioned that flights to India, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives may take longer as aircraft are forced to reroute around restricted airspace.
Heathrow Airport urged passengers to check directly with their airlines before travelling.
Regional Airspace Largely Closed
Airspace over Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria and the United Arab Emirates remained closed on Sunday morning, with partial restrictions in Saudi Arabia. While Jordan and Lebanon kept their airspace technically open, flight activity remained severely limited.
Flight-tracking data showed aircraft travelling between Europe and Asia diverting south through Saudi Arabia or north via the Caucasus to avoid the conflict zone.
The disruption followed Iranian strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Qatar’s defence ministry said it intercepted Iranian missiles after explosions were heard in Doha, while footage appeared to show a US facility in Bahrain being struck. Kuwait reported missile and drone attacks, and explosions were heard near Erbil airport in Iraq.
Casualties and Airport Chaos
At least one person was killed and 11 others injured at airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Four of the injured were staff members at Dubai International Airport. Passengers described chaotic scenes inside terminals and aboard grounded aircraft.
Sarah Short, who was due to fly from Dubai to Heathrow, said in an interview with BBC that her plane was moments from departure when the pilot announced they would not be leaving. “We then sat on the plane on the tarmac for over three hours.”
Emma Belcher and her husband Vic were stranded in Dubai while attempting to return to the UK from the Maldives. “There is absolutely no information about when they might open airspace,” she said. “We were really looking forward to getting home to see the children.”
In Qatar, 71-year-old British tourist John Henry said he was in a shopping centre when an air raid alert sounded and people rushed for cover after feeling tremors.
Airlines across Europe, Asia and the Middle East have announced sweeping suspensions, including: Lufthansa suspending services to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Oman: KLM cancelling routes to Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh; Air India cancelling flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to destinations including London, New York and Paris; Qatar Airways suspending operations in and out of Doha; Turkish Airlines cancelling flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan; Wizz Air suspending services to Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman
Other carriers, including Air Canada, ITA Airways, Norwegian Air, Pegasus Airlines and Azerbaijan Airlines, have either grounded flights or rerouted aircraft.
