21 Airlines Cancel Flights as Middle East Tensions Escalate; Emirates, Etihad, Garuda Affected

Following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday 28 February, which prompted retaliation from Tehran against Tel Aviv and several countries hosting American military bases, global aviation services to the Arab region have been severely disrupted. According to aviation analysis firm Cirium, thousands of flights to and from the Middle East have been cancelled or delayed.

On Saturday, approximately 966 flights, or 22.9% of the total 4,218 scheduled arrivals to Middle Eastern countries, were cancelled. When including outbound flights, cancellations exceeded 1,800. On Sunday, 716 of 4,329 scheduled flights were also cancelled. Beyond security concerns, airspace closures in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates have contributed to the disruptions.

Flight tracking website FlightAware reported over 19,000 global flight delays, with more than 2,600 cancellations by Sunday morning.

The following 21 airlines have been affected:

Emirates cancelled 38% of flights. Etihad cancelled 30% of flights. Qatar Airways suspended all departures from Doha and cancelled 41% of total flights. Syria Air cancelled all flights until further notice. Delta Air Lines suspended New York-Tel Aviv flights until Sunday. American Airlines temporarily suspended Doha-Philadelphia service. Rosaviatsia (Russia) cancelled all commercial flights to Israel and Iran. Air India suspended flights to all Middle Eastern destinations. Pakistan International Airlines suspended flights to the UAE, Bahrain, Doha, and Kuwait. Ariana Afghan Airlines cancelled Kabul-Dubai and Kabul-Mazar-i-Sharif-Jeddah routes.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines suspended all Middle East services. Turkish Airlines suspended flights to 10 Middle Eastern countries including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan through 2 March, with Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman suspensions extended to Sunday. Air France cancelled flights to Dubai, Riyadh, and Beirut on Saturday and to Tel Aviv through Sunday. British Airways announced suspension of Tel Aviv and Bahrain flights through 4 March. Swiss International Air Lines suspended Tel Aviv services until 7 March and Dubai until Sunday. Lufthansa cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, and Tehran through 7 March.

Air Algerie suspended Saturday flights to Amman, Dubai, and Doha. Finnair suspended daily Dubai and Doha services through 6 March. Norwegian suspended Dubai flights through 4 March. Wizz Air Hungary suspended all flights to Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman through 7 March, with Saudi Arabian services suspended through 2 March. Garuda Indonesia suspended flights to and from Doha until further notice.