Flight alert: What SA travellers need to know about going to the Middle East
Flight alert: What SA travellers need to know about going to the Middle East
Pretoria travellers heading to the Middle East are advised to stay alert, as several countries in the region have temporarily closed their airspace in response to ongoing tensions.
While Qatar reopened its airspace as of June 23, 2025, others—including the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Iran—remain restricted.
Travellers are urged to check flight statuses regularly and confirm all details with airlines or tour operators to avoid delays and unexpected reroutes.
The region has been on edge following the weekend strikes from the US and since Israel began the conflict with a surprise bombardment on Iran, which responded with its own missile and drone strikes earlier this month.
According to a report by EuroNews, Air tracking data from FlightAware showed 243 cancellations worldwide as of Tuesday morning.
Dubai International Airport topped the list with 26 cancellations in and out of the airport as of 0600 GMT. And Air India had the highest amount of cancellations among carriers, totalling 25 at about 0600 GMT.
Meanwhile, Middle East carriers were severely affected by cancellations and delays. Qatar Airways said its flights were suspended because of the closure of air traffic in Qatar.
Also read: Is there an outbreak of Staphylococcus in Pretoria?
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14 hours ago
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Flight alert: What SA travellers need to know about going to the Middle East
Flight alert: What SA travellers need to know about going to the Middle East Pretoria travellers heading to the Middle East are advised to stay alert, as several countries in the region have temporarily closed their airspace in response to ongoing tensions. While Qatar reopened its airspace as of June 23, 2025, others—including the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Iran—remain restricted. Travellers are urged to check flight statuses regularly and confirm all details with airlines or tour operators to avoid delays and unexpected reroutes. The region has been on edge following the weekend strikes from the US and since Israel began the conflict with a surprise bombardment on Iran, which responded with its own missile and drone strikes earlier this month. According to a report by EuroNews, Air tracking data from FlightAware showed 243 cancellations worldwide as of Tuesday morning. Dubai International Airport topped the list with 26 cancellations in and out of the airport as of 0600 GMT. And Air India had the highest amount of cancellations among carriers, totalling 25 at about 0600 GMT. Meanwhile, Middle East carriers were severely affected by cancellations and delays. Qatar Airways said its flights were suspended because of the closure of air traffic in Qatar. Also read: Is there an outbreak of Staphylococcus in Pretoria? Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
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