U.S. and Israel strikes on Iran force mass flight cancellations, Gulf hubs shut

The United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran early Saturday, prompting widespread airspace closures, the temporary shutdown of Gulf hub airports and large-scale flight cancellations that left thousands of passengers stranded. Cirium analytics show airlines canceled almost 40% of flights to Israel and 6.7% of flights to the broader region on Saturday, while flight-tracking maps displayed the airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel and Bahrain virtually empty.

Airspace closures across the region included Israel, Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan. Major Gulf hubs responded rapidly: Dubai International and Dubai World Central were ordered shut about 7 a.m. ET, with all flight operations suspended until further notice. Doha’s Hamad International Airport halted aircraft movement and said, "Our priority is always the safety of our passengers and employees. We are working closely with government stakeholders and airline partners to look after passengers that have been impacted."

Airlines reworked schedules in real time and issued blanket suspensions. Etihad posted on X that "all our flights have been cancelled until 2pm on 01 March UAE local time." Wizz Air suspended services to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until March 7. British Airways canceled flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until March 3 and called off Saturday services to Amman. Lufthansa Group said it would not use the airspaces of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar and Iran until March 7 and would suspend flights to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Dammam until March 1. Several carriers, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, temporarily stopped services to and from their Dubai and Doha hubs; other operators rerouted or canceled flights across the Middle East and beyond.

Regulatory bodies and airlines urged caution. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency recommended airlines stay out of airspace affected by the military intervention. National aviation authorities also acted: Kuwait halted flights to Iran until further notice, Oman Air suspended services to Baghdad and the Russian Ministry of Transport said Russian carriers had suspended flights to Iran and Israel.

Disruption rippled through key connecting networks. Data from aviation analytics indicate the home carriers of Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi together handle roughly 90,000 transit passengers a day, amplifying the global effect on itineraries and cargo chains. Passengers were left in limbo: more than 200 people on a late Friday flight to Doha were forced to return to London Heathrow after the aircraft turned back; one traveler described being held on the tarmac for more than three hours. Others reported departure boards flipping to red across airports from Tel Aviv to Kathmandu.

Beyond passenger inconvenience, the shutdowns carry economic costs. Cancellations at major hubs reduce capacity for long-haul connectivity and air freight, tighten capacity on alternate routes and raise operational costs from fuel, crew and repositioning. Airlines have already announced staggered resumption windows, March 1, March 3 and March 7 figure prominently, signalling continued uncertainty for scheduling and revenue recovery.

For now, authorities are keeping national advisories and airport operations under close review. Governments urged citizens in affected states to seek shelter amid alerts, while airports and carriers said they were coordinating passenger care. With EASA advising avoidance and carriers setting temporary no-fly windows, the aviation industry faces a period of constrained capacity and elevated risk as military and diplomatic developments evolve.