Middle East

Iran: world's largest air transport disruption underway

After the military escalation in the region, airspace in much of the Middle East closed and operations of major Gulf carriers suspended

1 March 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The crisis in the Middle East is hitting global aviation hard, resulting in the world's largest air transport disruption: 19,000 flights delayed, over 2,600 cancelled. One person also died and seven were injured at Abu Dhabi airport, in a maximum alert that led to the closure of much of the region's airspace. There were also four injuries at Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest hubs for connections between Europe, Asia and Oceania.

The airspaces of Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria and the United Arab Emirates are currently closed; a partial closure is in force in Saudi Arabia. Jordan and Lebanon remain formally open, but with limited flight activity. The result is a domino effect on intercontinental routes: tracking maps show connections between Europe and Asia diverted along alternative corridors via Saudi Arabia or the Caucasus. The Gulf airports - traditional hubs for flows between West and East - operate at reduced capacity or are temporarily isolated.

Emirates and Etihad cancelled 38% and 30% of flights respectively. Qatar Airways suspended all flights from Doha and cancelled 41% of its total flights. The paralysis thus involves three pivotal carriers of the Gulf 'hub and spoke' model, with immediate repercussions on long-haul connections to Europe, Asia and Africa.

European airlines have initiated multiple cancellations and rescheduling. British Airways has cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday and warns that connections between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv could be affected for several days.

Virgin Atlantic also suspended connections to Riyadh on Sunday, after having already cancelled flights to Dubai at the weekend, pointing out possible longer flight times to India, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives as a result of the forced diversions.

ITA Airways has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv and will avoid the airspaces of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Iran in the coming days. Lufthansa stopped services to Tel Aviv, Beirut and Oman until next week and cancelled flights to and from Dubai on Sunday. KLM cancelled services to Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh, having already suspended the Amsterdam-Tel Aviv route.

Air Canada cancelled flights to Dubai until Tuesday and to Israel until next Sunday, while Air India cancelled connections from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to several international destinations, including London, New York and Paris. Wizz Air suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until next Saturday and Turkish Airlines cancelled connections to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan on Sunday.

Diversions are also generating knock-on delays at European and Asian airports, with aircraft and crews out of position and complex rescheduling of long-haul routes. For carriers, in addition to the immediate impact of cancellations and refunds, an increase in operating costs linked to longer flight times and higher fuel consumption is looming.