Some of the world’s most congested airspace has been disrupted by the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran.
A video shared by Flightradar24 showed how airplanes deserted the region. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar have closed their airspaces.
Some Middle Eastern airlines, such as Qatar Airways and Emirates, operate major hubs that connect passengers to destinations around the world. Dubai is home to the world’s busiest airport for international traffic, while Doha’s is the 10th busiest.
Even for flights that don’t land there, it’s a key route for flying between Europe and Asia.
Some flights appeared to re-route over Saudi Arabia. Other airlines were avoiding the region altogether.
In a post on X, Emirates said it was temporarily suspending all flights to and from Dubai, its home base. That’s equal to about 500 flights a day, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics firm.
Emirates urged customers to check their flight statuses before visiting the airport. “We are actively monitoring the situation and engaging with relevant authorities,” the airline added.
Qatar Airways also said all flights to and from its Doha hub were temporarily suspended. “Once usual operations resume, we anticipate delays to our flight schedule,” it added.
Air India said it had suspended all flights to the Middle East “in view of the developing situation,” and Saudia said “a number” of its flights had been canceled too.
Major airline disruption
For those already in the air during the strikes, many flights diverted to other nearby airports or turned back to their origins.
An American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Doha had flown for more than six hours when it turned around over Ireland and started heading back across the Atlantic Ocean, flight-tracking data showed.
It looks like the total flight-to-nowhere will last about 13 hours.
An Air Canada flight from Toronto to Dubai was over the Mediterranean Sea before U-turning. Passengers appear to face a total journey time of 10 hours.
There is likely more disruption to emerge, too. When Iran launched strikes on a US air base in Qatar last June, more than 160 flights were diverted.
In a video statement posted to Truth Social on Saturday morning, President Donald Trump vowed to destroy Iran’s missile program and navy, and ensure that the country can “never” have a nuclear weapon.
