Air traffic in the Middle East comes to a standstill

Following the coordinated Israeli-U.S. air strikes on Iran, international airlines reacted within minutes by scrapping air services to the region or canceling overflights on routes between Europe and the Far East. Thousands of passengers stranded and masses of air freight remained at departure airports. Maritime shipping has also been similarly affected by the conflict, as Yemeni Houthi rebels have announced attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz in support of the Iranian mullah regime.

Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all announced at least partial closures of their skies in the hours after smoke began rising over Tehran and Iran began retaliatory attacks in the region. In counterattacks, Iranian missiles hit capital cities around the wealthy Gulf region, killing at least one, as witnesses reported seeing warplanes and projectiles streaking through the skies.

Irans capital Teheran was targeted by coordinated military airstrikes from U.S. and Israelian forces. Courtesy: Majid Asgaripour/Wana news Agency

Massive flight cancellations
Hong Kong’s Airport Authority confirmed that Cathay Pacific and its cargo arm suspended all flights to and from the Middle East on Saturday (28FEB26) in response to “Operation Epic Fury”, a massive and ongoing joint military assault by the U.S. and Israel against the Mullah regime in Iran.  The step follows the announcement of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel to shut their airspace, and Qatar Airways Group cancelled flights to and from Doha. While planes en route to Israel, Dubai or Abu Dhabi were rerouted to other airports, flights by Emirates and Etihad were also affected by the UAE airspace closure, as both airlines cancelled flights until further notice and urged passengers to check their flight status online. The same applies to freight forwarders who had booked cargo shipments on flights to the UAE or beyond destinations.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation in the State of Kuwait confirmed that the country’s international airport was struck by a drone on Saturday, resulting in “minor injuries to a number of employees”, in addition to “limited material damage” to the passenger building. A spokesman said that the authorities “immediately initiated the implementation of approved emergency procedures”, where the “incident was handled and the site was secured”. Kuwaiti carriers halted all flights to Iran indefinitely.
Other Middle Eastern regional carriers, such as EgyptAir, suspended flights from Cairo to Kuwait, Dubai, Doha, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Qassim, Dammam, Erbil, Baghdad, Amman, Beirut, and Muscat because of the escalation.​

Air freight supply chains are interrupted
In Europe, German airline Lufthansa cancelled its flights until 07MAR to several Middle East destinations, including Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil and Tehran, due to “severe security concerns.” Additionally, flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also suspended until 01MAR26.  However, it is questionable whether LH will be able to meet this date, as observers expect the hostilities to continue into the coming week. This is particularly true given that Iran has responded to the bombings with massive counterattacks, as evidenced by missile and drone strikes in Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, and Israel.
The Dutch carrier KLM had already announced earlier in the week that it was suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv starting Sunday. Carriers including Air France, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algérie and ITA Airways announced widespread cancellations.
Meanwhile, British Airways said it halted air services to the region, including Tel Aviv, amid the escalation, and Virgin Atlantic cancelled its flight from Heathrow Airport in London to Dubai and said it would avoid flying over Iraq. The airline was already not flying over Iran. According to Virgin Atlantic, all flights would carry appropriate fuel in case they needed to reroute on short notice.

Even Russia stopped flying to Iran
Syria closed part of its airspace in the south along the border, while Qatar Airways suspended all flights from Doha. Air India suspended flights to all destinations in the Middle East. And Pakistan International Airlines, the flag carrier of Pakistan, which borders Iran, said it had suspended flights to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Doha and Kuwait.
Even Russia, one of the Iranian theocrasy’s closest allies said in a statement that all commercial flights to Israel and Iran were cancelled “until further notice”. If this also includes military flights was left open by Moscow’s Aviation Authority.
The hostilities between the U.S. and Israel on one side and Iran on the other are likely to have caused the most serious crisis for international civil aviation since the end of the coronavirus pandemic. And there is currently no end in sight.

The maritime sector is affected as well
Commercial shipping is also affected by the conflict. Ships already operating in the region are expected to seek refuge in the territorial waters of neutral states, including Oman.  Some may opt to exit the area entirely. Meanwhile, vessels en route to the immediate conflict zone are likely to delay entry until the security situation stabilizes. The announced Houthi attacks on commercial ships increase the risk for shipping companies whose container ships operate in the Persian Gulf or neighboring waters, prompting immediate operational and insurance repercussions across the global maritime sector.

Indian airlines cancel 350 flights to Middle East as tensions disrupt air travel for second day

IndiGo, a major operator to the Middle East, cancelled 166 flights to the region and to London on Sunday and announced 162 cancellations on Monday and 42 on Tuesday.

The aviation chaos due to escalating tensions in the Middle East continued for the second consecutive day on Sunday, with Indian airlines announcing cancellation of all flights to the region and to some Western cities accessed via the closed airspace.

The Civil Aviation Ministry said a total of 350 flights operated by Indian carriers were cancelled on Sunday due to airspace restrictions. In line with an earlier directive issued by aviation watchdog DGCA, airlines extended cancellations up to 11:59 pm on Monday (March 2).

The Ministry said, “In view of airspace restrictions arising from geopolitical developments in the Middle East, a total of 350 flights operated by Indian domestic carriers have been cancelled on March 1.” On Saturday, 410 flights were cancelled.

Airlines have announced full refunds or rescheduling for tickets booked until March 5 or 7 (depending on the airline), provided bookings were made before February 28.

IndiGo, a major operator to the Middle East, cancelled 166 flights to the region and to London on Sunday. It announced 162 cancellations on Monday and 42 on Tuesday, including flights from Chennai, Mumbai and Bengaluru to Doha; Doha to Mumbai and Delhi; Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Chandigarh to Abu Dhabi; and Lucknow and Tiruvananthapuram to Sharjah.

A spokesperson for Air India Express said, “Air India Express has extended the suspension of flights to and from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE until 23:59 pm India Time (18:29 hrs UTC) of March 2.”

Air India had already suspended all its flights to and from the UAE, Qatar, Israel and Saudi Arabia. It also cancelled flights to London, New York, Birmingham, Amsterdam, Zurich, Milan, Vienna, Copenhagen and Frankfurt from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru on Sunday.

On Monday, it will cancel flights to the Middle East as well as specific Europe services, including Amritsar–Birmingham, Birmingham–Delhi, Delhi–Zurich (and return), and Delhi–Copenhagen (and return). SpiceJet flights to the Middle East were also cancelled on Sunday and Monday.

At Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, 104 flights, 62 departures and 42 arrivals, were cancelled on Sunday, according to a source.