ISTANBUL
The widening conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran has led to sweeping airspace closures across the Gulf, disrupting global air traffic through some of the world’s busiest transit hubs.
Over the past two decades, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha have developed into central transfer points linking Europe and the Americas with Asia, Africa and Oceania. The current airspace restrictions are disrupting that role, triggering ripple effects across global long-haul air networks, while adding significant operational and insurance costs for airlines worldwide.
In the early hours of Feb. 28, Israel and the US launched joint airstrikes against targets in Iran. Tehran responded by targeting US military bases and logistical facilities in several Arab countries in the Middle East, triggering widespread airspace restrictions across the region.
Airspace closures, security alerts
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria was largely closed as of Monday, according to Flightradar24, while parts of the UAE and Saudi Arabia remained only partially open.
Abu Dhabi Airports said in a now-deleted post on US social media company X that an incident at Zayed International Airport left one person dead and seven others injured.
The EU Aviation Safety Agency declared "high risk to civil aviation" across the region.
Thousands of flights canceled
The disruption has grounded thousands of flights. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said more than 2,000 flights to the Middle East were canceled on March 1 alone, representing about half of the day’s scheduled operations. FlightAware data showed nearly 2,800 cancellations on Saturday and more than 3,400 flights scrapped across the region’s seven main airports on Sunday.
FlightGlobal described the shutdown of major Gulf hubs, including Dubai - the world’s busiest airport for international traffic - as the most acute aviation shock since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dubai International handled 92.3 million passengers in 2024. Emirates carried 43.6 million passengers in the 12 months prior to the conflict. Together with Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, the three carriers typically handle around 90,000 transit passengers per day through their hubs, according to Cirium.
All three major Gulf carriers initially suspended operations as widespread airspace closures took effect across the Middle East.
Emirates and Etihad have paused most scheduled services, with both airlines operating only a limited number of special flights, such as repatriations, while awaiting safe airspace clearance.
Qatar Airways’ flights to and from Doha remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatar's airspace. The carrier said it will resume service once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirms a safe reopening. An update is expected on March 4.
Israel’s national airline El Al has also canceled scheduled flights amid the closure of Israel's airspace. Further operational disruptions remain possible amid the ongoing regional conflict.
Global ripple effects
The impact has extended well beyond the Gulf. Airlines across Asia and Europe have suspended or rerouted services to avoid closed airspace. Air India halted flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to major European and North American cities and suspended services between India and several Middle Eastern destinations.
Singapore Airlines and its low-cost unit Scoot canceled Middle East flights through March 7, while Lufthansa Group suspended operations to multiple regional cities until March 8.
Air France and KLM also paused services to several Gulf destinations. The Guardian reported that 115,000 Australian travelers were among those affected by the disruptions, while FreightWaves said Qatar Airways was unable to move around 13 tons of daily cargo capacity due to the suspension of operations.
According to Insurance Business, rerouted services are adding 30 to 90 minutes to certain routes, contributing to higher fuel consumption and maintenance costs, which have climbed 39% over the past three years.