More than 12,300 flights canceled as Middle East airspace closures cripple hubs

More than 12,300 flights had been canceled worldwide by March 3 after airspace closures, NOTAMs and government advisories linked to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran disrupted major transfer hubs, aviation tracking services and carriers reported. Flightradar24’s tally, cited by Bloomberg and repeated in regional updates, captured the scale of the shutdown across routes that cross or connect through the Gulf.

Valor International and Globo reported a closely comparable cumulative figure, writing, “Since Saturday, 12,903 flights have been canceled.” The slight variance between providers reflects different cutoffs and counting methods; aviation analyst Cirium supplied a sharper single‑day snapshot, saying that “4,500 flights were canceled across several countries in the region on Monday (2), representing 43.9% of scheduled departures.” Cirium also noted that “Around 900,000 seats are scheduled per day for flights to the Middle East, departing from international destinations and within the region,” underscoring the size of the disruption to global capacity.

The immediate impact fell hardest on Gulf transfer hubs. Dubai International was closed after Iran’s airspace closure grounded Emirates jets, then reopened on a limited basis, with LiveMint reporting that “Emirates has cancelled over 2,000 flights since Saturday … Although the airline has begun some limited operations to evacuate people from Dubai, regular commercial flights are cancelled.” Hamad International in Doha and airports in Abu Dhabi also faced large-scale suspensions as carriers rerouted or scrubbed services.

Major airlines issued broad suspensions and routing bans. LiveMint detailed that Lufthansa Group had canceled flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam and Tehran and would avoid airspace over Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dammam and Iran until March 8. KLM paused seasonal flights to Tel Aviv and suspended service to Dammam, Riyadh and Dubai until March 9; Cathay Pacific canceled services to Dubai and Riyadh until March 14; Delta suspended New York-Tel Aviv flights through March 8; and British Airways halted services to Amman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv through Tuesday.

Carriers extended flexibility and refunds as passengers adjusted travel plans. News18 quoted Qatar Airways’ policy: “Passengers with bookings through March 15 may change their travel dates free of charge for journeys on or before March 29. Additionally, travellers scheduled to fly up to March 8 are eligible to request a full refund.” Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo offered waivers and refunds for affected bookings, and Air India executed repatriation lifts: Hindustan Times reported that “143 cockpit and cabin crew members of Air India and Air India Express who had been stranded in Dubai also returned safely to Delhi on flight AI918D.”

National reporting highlighted localized disruption: Delhi recorded dozens of canceled departures and arrivals, Bengaluru and Kolkata saw multiple flight cancellations, and regional carriers adjusted networks amid mounting advisories. Valor’s country breakdown attributed 960 cancellations to the United Arab Emirates and 310 to Qatar, noting percentages in its report without defining the denominators.

The shutdown represents a rapid rerouting of global air traffic and an immediate financial and logistical shock to carriers, airports and passengers. Authorities and airlines said they would monitor Notam updates and security advisories as the situation evolved; differences in proprietary datasets mean totals may change as providers reconcile cutoffs. Travelers with impending plans to or through the Middle East should consult airline notices and seek refunds or rebooking options now in force.