Global commercial air travel is facing extensive interruptions after the conflict in Iran led to the closure of major Middle Eastern aviation centers - notably Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. Airlines have responded by cancelling or suspending services on many routes, a move that has left tens of thousands of travellers stranded and resulted in the disruption of thousands of flights worldwide.
The following is a company-by-company account, presented in alphabetical order, of the flight suspensions and cancellations announced by carriers. Each entry reflects the precise route adjustments and affected dates as reported by the airlines.
- AEGEAN AIRLINES - Greece’s largest carrier has halted flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Erbil and Baghdad through early morning arrivals of March 10. It has also suspended services to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi until the evening arrivals of March 6, and stops flights to and from Riyadh and Jeddah until early morning arrivals of March 7.
- AIR BALTIC - Latvia’s airBaltic has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv through March 9. In addition, it has called off flights to and from Dubai through March 6.
- AIR CANADA - The Canadian carrier has suspended all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv until March 22, with plans to resume those services on March 23.
- AIR EUROPA - The Spanish airline has cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until March 9.
- AIR FRANCE KLM - Air France has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut through March 8 and to and from Dubai and Riyadh until March 6, including a departing service from Dubai on March 7. KLM has suspended flights to and from Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam until March 8 and has stopped flights to and from Tel Aviv for the remainder of its winter season.
- CATHAY PACIFIC - The Hong Kong carrier has cancelled all flights to and from Dubai and to and from Riyadh through March 14.
- DELTA - The U.S. carrier has cancelled flights from New York to Tel Aviv through March 22 and flights from Tel Aviv to New York through March 23.
- EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES - El Al and Sundor services to and from Israel were cancelled until 2 a.m. local time on March 8.
- EMIRATES - The UAE airline said it was operating a reduced flight schedule until further notice.
- ETIHAD AIRWAYS - The Abu Dhabi-based carrier has suspended all commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi until 0300 GMT on March 6.
- FINNAIR - The Finnish airline has cancelled flights to Doha and Dubai until March 29 and is avoiding the airspace of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Israel.
- IAG - IAG-owned British Airways has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv through March 9, and flights to Amman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Doha through March 7, while operating a reduced schedule to Larnaca. IAG’s low-cost carrier Iberia Express has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv through March 10.
- ITA AIRWAYS - ITA Airways has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 22, and it has extended cancellations to Dubai through March 10.
- JAPAN AIRLINES - Japan Airlines has suspended Tokyo-Doha flights scheduled from February 28 to March 14 and Doha-Tokyo flights until March 15.
- LOT - The Polish carrier has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv through March 18. It has also cancelled flights to Dubai until March 6 and to Riyadh until March 8.
- LUFTHANSA GROUP - The group, which encompasses Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines, has suspended flights to Tel Aviv through March 22, to Beirut through March 28, and to Amman and Erbil through March 15. Services to Tehran are suspended through April 30, and flights to Dammam, Dubai and Abu Dhabi through March 10. Flights to Larnaca are scheduled to resume on March 7.
- MALAYSIA AIRLINES - The Malaysian carrier suspended all flights to and from Doha until March 7. It temporarily resumed return services to and from Jeddah and Madinah from March 4-8.
- NORWEGIAN AIR - The Nordic low-cost carrier plans to operate services to Tel Aviv and Beirut beginning June 15, rather than on April 1 and April 4 respectively, as previously planned.
- PEGASUS - The Turkish airline has cancelled flights to Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon until March 6 and has cancelled flights to Iran until March 12.
- QATAR AIRWAYS - The carrier said it suspended flights to and from Doha because Qatari airspace was closed.
- SINGAPORE AIRLINES - Singapore Airlines has cancelled flights to and from Dubai through March 7. Its low-cost unit Scoot has cancelled flights to and from Jeddah through March 7.
- TURKISH AIRLINES - Turkish Airlines cancelled certain flights to and from Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria and the UAE, as well as to and from Saudi cities Dammam and Riyadh.
- WIZZ AIR - The low-cost carrier suspended flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman through March 15. It plans to recommence flights to Jeddah and Medina from March 8.
Across the industry, the timing and duration of cancellations vary by carrier and route. Some airlines have issued suspensions extending into late March and even April for particular destinations, while others have indicated shorter interruptions or reduced schedules until further notice. The range of affected services covers regional Middle Eastern air travel as well as intercontinental routes linking the Gulf and Israel to Europe, Asia and North America.
Passengers affected by route suspensions have been left to seek alternative travel arrangements or await rescheduled services. Airlines have indicated different restart dates and, in some cases, ongoing reductions to schedules as the situation evolves.
Note - The summaries above reflect official announcements by the listed carriers and their published suspension dates and route-by-route details.