Air strikes in Iran have forced the closure of airspace across the Middle East, triggering mass flight cancellations and leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded at major global hubs. The disruption, which began on Saturday, has rippled worldwide, affecting flights from London to the United States.
The heart of the chaos is in the Middle East, where airports in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi serve as critical global connecting points. Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows their home airlines—Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways—carry a combined 90,000 transit passengers daily, a figure that excludes thousands more with final destinations in the region.
Passengers Describe Terminal Chaos
Passengers reported scenes of confusion and long delays. Jaiveer Cheema, an Emirates passenger bound for the US, was stuck on his plane at Dubai International for five hours with no food before being deplaned into a crowded terminal. "The next several hours at the airport were chaos as no one knew what to do," Cheema told Business Insider. "We spoke to several security guards and Emirates employees, and they all gave us different answers."
After hours in lines, Cheema secured a hotel voucher but was still waiting for a room nearly 20 hours after arriving for his original 9 a.m. flight. An Emirates spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Airlines Suspend Operations Across Region
Airlines are pivoting operations in response. The Lufthansa Group announced it is suspending flights to Beirut, Tel Aviv, Amman, Erbil, and Tehran until at least March 7. In a statement, the company said it would also avoid the airspace of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, and Iran until that date.
Furthermore, Lufthansa Group airlines will suspend flights to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Dammam until March 1, and will not use United Arab Emirates airspace during that period.
Airports Issue Warnings, Suspend Movements
Qatar's Hamad International Airport confirmed all aircraft movement has been "temporarily suspended" due to the closed airspace. "Our priority is always the safety of our passengers and employees," the airport stated, adding it is working with government and airline partners to assist impacted passengers.
London Gatwick Airport also warned of disruption, with a spokesperson telling Sky News it was "expecting disruption to our Qatar and Emirates flights." Tribhuvan International Airport advised that international flights may face delays or cancellations and told passengers to coordinate directly with their airlines.
The sheer scale of displacement on Saturday is expected to cause a snowballing effect on global travel if operations cannot resume swiftly. Airlines have warned passengers on social media to expect long wait times at airports and on customer service lines as they manage the abrupt disruptions.