Flights to and from Dubai and Doha have been suspended, triggering widespread travel disruption across the Middle East, after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest international aviation hub, halted operations following what former US president Donald Trump described as a “major combat operation” against Iran.
The disruption comes as Iran and Iraq closed their airspace in response to the escalating conflict. Explosions have been reported across the region, including in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, which host US military bases, as well as in Jordan and Qatar.
The main airline at Dubai, Emirates, confirmed a temporary suspension of operations.
“Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai.
“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused, and we are assisting them with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”
Other carriers have also been affected. British Airways passenger Mike Boreham said he was on flight BA108, preparing to depart Dubai for Heathrow when the captain announced the airspace closure.
“We were all boarded,” he told The Independent. “The flight is completely full. About 10 minutes after the ‘boarding complete’ announcement, we were told airspace is closed.”
Following the shutdown, numerous flights bound for Dubai were forced to return to their departure points, including Emirates services from Dublin, Turkish Airlines flights to Istanbul and LOT Polish Airlines services to Warsaw. On a typical day, about 250,000 passengers travel through Dubai’s airport.
The region’s second-largest hub, Qatar Airways, also suspended all flights to and from Doha.
In a statement, the airline said, "Qatar Airways Group confirms the temporary suspension of its flights to and from Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
“The airline is working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support impacted passengers and will resume operations when the airspace reopens.
“Once usual operations resume, we anticipate delays to our flight schedule.
“We have also deployed additional ground staff at Hamad International Airport and other key airports to assist affected passengers.
“The safety of our passengers and employees is always our highest priority, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Thousands of British travellers have been caught up in the disruption, particularly those returning from Asia, Australasia and Africa. Several inbound services have been diverted, including flights from Colombo and Dhaka, which landed in Muscat, Oman. Flights from Chicago were diverted to Cairo, while services from Boston were rerouted to Athens.
Multiple Qatar Airways departures from European cities, including Berlin, Brussels, Zurich, Vienna, Warsaw, Barcelona, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Paris, Milan and Madrid, were also forced to return to their original airports, leaving passengers stranded as the crisis continues.
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