Hundreds of flights worldwide were grounded over Israel-US-Iran attacks
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran, compounded by the United States' military involvement, triggered a wave of global air travel disruptions. Since the ceasefire announced on Tuesday, airlines, airports and passengers have been scrambling to get their planning back on track.
Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear and military targets. In retaliation, Iran launched missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Hours before the attack, Qatar had already closed its airspace and, along with the U.K., advised citizens to shelter in place.
The volatile situation led to a ripple effect across Middle Eastern airspace, prompting temporary airport closures and widespread flight cancellations, especially in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which lie across the Gulf from Iran.
Qatar Airways halted flights due to the national airspace shutdown. The airline announced it was working closely with authorities to assist stranded passengers and warned of continued delays even after resuming operations. Additional ground staff were deployed to Hamad International Airport and other hubs to help manage the situation.
Emirates suspended all flights to Iran and Iraq, including those to Baghdad and Basra, through June 30. Other routes were rerouted away from conflict zones but remained operational, though some faced delays. Etihad Airways, another primary UAE carrier, suspended all flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv until mid-July and canceled several flights within the region, including those to Kuwait, Doha, Dammam, and Muscat.
Bahrain's Gulf Air extended its suspension of flights to Jordan through June 27, citing passenger safety as its top priority. It pledged to reroute and accommodate travelers as needed. Singapore Airlines also canceled select flights to Dubai, citing a security review, and British Airways suspended service to and from Doha through Wednesday, emphasizing safety as its guiding principle.
India's national carrier, Air India, took more drastic action—halting all flights to the Middle East, to and from Europe, and to and from North America that passed through affected airspace. Still reeling from a deadly crash earlier in June, the airline said all India-bound flights from the West were being rerouted for safety.
According to FlightAware, there were at least 819 flight cancellations worldwide by June 24. Dubai International Airport had the highest number of disruptions, with 89 cancellations. Air India led all airlines with 40 scrapped flights.
Given the Middle East's role as a global transit hub, the impact on international air traffic has been severe. Experts say such measures are necessary to prevent further tragedy. "Countries must ensure their airspace is safe," said Hassan Shahidi, president of the Flight Safety Foundation, who praised Qatar's airspace closure.
By Wednesday most airlines had resumed flights to all destinations including Israel and Iran.
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