International airlines cancel and delay flights as Israel-Iran war throws travel into chaos
Several Middle Eastern nations temporarily closed their countries' airspace on Monday as Iran attacked the Al Udeid US military base in Doha.
Explosions were heard over Doha after Iran warned it would launch missiles towards US air bases in Qatar and Iraq.
The major escalation came two days after US struck three Iranian nuclear sites, and as Iran and Israel were trading missile attacks on Monday.
Earlier this morning, in a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump said Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire. He said it would begin in about six hours.
But the escalating tensions have already affected airlines beyond the Middle East, with major flight routes cut since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13.
Routes to major cities have already been cut off, including some to Qatar's capital of Doha, along with Dubai, which has the world's busiest international airport.
Dubai Airports said its operations had resumed after a brief suspension, though it warned post on X of delays or cancellations.
Qatar also reopened its airspace after a brief suspension, its civil aviation authority said early on Tuesday.
Carriers have likely been avoiding Doha, Dubai and other airports in the region due to concerns that Iran or its proxies could target drone or missile attacks on US military bases in these countries, aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions said.
Here's a look at which international airlines have been affected.
Singapore Airlines has cancelled flights. ( ABC News: Brant Cumming )
Singapore Airlines cancelled flights to and from Dubai on Sunday after a "security assessment of the geopolitical situation".
It warned further services on the Dubai route might be affected "as the situation remains fluid". British Airways A British Airways plane. ( Flickr: Clement Alloing )
British Airways also suspended flights to Doha and Dubai. It said it was reviewing the situation for future flights. Air France Passengers wait at the Air France check-in counter at the Tom Jobim International airport in Rio de Janeiro June 1, 2009. An Air France plane with 228 people on board was presumed to have crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday after hitting stormy weather during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris. ( Sergio Moraes: Reuters, file photo )
Air France cancelled flights to and from Dubai and Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh. Emirates Emirates are resuming flights to Adelaide. ( Supplied: Emirates )
Emirates, which operates out of Dubai, has suspended all flights to Iran and Iraq for the next week at least. Qatar Airways Qatar Airways has cancelled flights to Iraq, Iran and Syria. ( Supplied: Facebook Qatar Airways )
Qatar Airways has cancelled flights to Iran, Iraq and Syria.
It advised other passengers that some flight times might change to minimise disruptions. Etihad Airways In this May 4, 2014 file photo, an Etihad Airways plane prepares to land at the Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates ( AP: Kamran Jebreili )
Etihad Airways warned its customers the situation remained "highly dynamic".
"Further changes or disruption, including sudden airspace closures or operational impact, may occur at short notice," it said.
Air India stops flights to parts of US and Europe
Air India said on Monday it had stopped all operations to the Middle East, but also flights to North America's east coast and Europe.
The changes included diverting flights already in the air back to their take-off site and away from closed airspaces, it said.
Air India said it was ceasing "all operations" to the Middle East, North America's east coast and Europe. ( AP: Kevin Frayer )
These routes use what has become an increasingly narrow path between those destinations and India.
"It's terrifying," said Miret Padovani, a business owner who was stranded at Doha's Hamad International Airport.
She was booked on a Qatar Airways flight to Thailand that was scheduled to leave late Monday. However she has cancelled her trip and is now planning on returning home to Dubai early on Tuesday.
"Everything happened so quick. I actually heard from people in the first-class lounge that the missiles were being sent this way before they were even in the news."
Any other airlines?
In the days before the US strikes, American Airlines suspended flights to Qatar, and United Airlines and Air Canada did the same with flights to Dubai.
They are yet to resume.
American Airlines has suspended flights to Qatar. ( AP: David Zalubowski )
Finland-based airline Finnair Oyj was the first to announce a prolonged suspension of flights to Doha, with cancellations until June 30.
On Monday, Kuwait Airways suspended its flight departures from the country, while the UAE's Etihad Airways was rerouting flights on Monday and Tuesday.
With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East has become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia.
Amid missile and air strikes during the past 10 days, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
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She ruled after Trump's Friday announcement that his administration could announce a deal with Harvard "over the next week or so" to resolve the White House's campaign against the university, which has waged a legal battle against the administration's various actions against the school. Trump signed the proclamation after his administration had already frozen billions of dollars in funding to the oldest and wealthiest US university, threatened Harvard's tax-exempt status and launched several investigations into the school. The proclamation prohibited foreign nationals from entering the US to study at Harvard or participate in exchange visitor programs for an initial period of six months, and directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider whether to revoke visas of international students already enrolled at Harvard. But Burroughs said Trump's administration was likely violating Harvard's free speech rights under the US Constitution's First Amendment by retaliating against it for refusing to meet its demands to cede control over the school's curriculum and admissions and by targeting it based on what officials viewed as the university's left-leaning orientation. The judge said "at its root, this case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, each of which is a pillar of a functioning democracy and an essential hedge against authoritarianism." "Here, the government's misplaced efforts to control a reputable academic institution and squelch diverse viewpoints seemingly because they are, in some instances, opposed to this administration's own views, threaten these rights," she wrote. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Almost 6,800 international students attended Harvard in its most recent school year, making up about 27 per cent of its student population. A judge has blocked President Donald Trump's administration from implementing his plan to bar foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at Harvard University. US District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued an injunction barring Trump's administration from carrying out its latest bid to curtail Harvard's ability to host international students amid an escalating fight pitting the Republican president against the prestigious Ivy League school. The preliminary injunction extends a temporary order the judge issued on June 5 that prevented the administration from enforcing a proclamation Trump signed a day earlier that cited national security concerns to justify why Harvard could no longer be trusted to host international students. She ruled after Trump's Friday announcement that his administration could announce a deal with Harvard "over the next week or so" to resolve the White House's campaign against the university, which has waged a legal battle against the administration's various actions against the school. Trump signed the proclamation after his administration had already frozen billions of dollars in funding to the oldest and wealthiest US university, threatened Harvard's tax-exempt status and launched several investigations into the school. The proclamation prohibited foreign nationals from entering the US to study at Harvard or participate in exchange visitor programs for an initial period of six months, and directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider whether to revoke visas of international students already enrolled at Harvard. But Burroughs said Trump's administration was likely violating Harvard's free speech rights under the US Constitution's First Amendment by retaliating against it for refusing to meet its demands to cede control over the school's curriculum and admissions and by targeting it based on what officials viewed as the university's left-leaning orientation. The judge said "at its root, this case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, each of which is a pillar of a functioning democracy and an essential hedge against authoritarianism." "Here, the government's misplaced efforts to control a reputable academic institution and squelch diverse viewpoints seemingly because they are, in some instances, opposed to this administration's own views, threaten these rights," she wrote. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Almost 6,800 international students attended Harvard in its most recent school year, making up about 27 per cent of its student population.
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