Finance
Airlines Cancel Flights After US and Israel Strike Iran
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 1, 2026
3 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 1, 2026
3 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleU.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28 triggered widespread airspace closures across the Middle East, leading to hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded and flight suspensions, as airlines rerouted or halted services amid escalating security risks.
Feb 28 (Reuters) - Global airlines cancelled flights across the Middle East on Saturday after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, plunging the region into a new conflict.
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain and Jordan was empty early on Saturday, maps by flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed. The European Union's aviation regulator recommended that its airlines stay out of the airspace affected by the military intervention.
Below is the latest on flights listed by airline in alphabetical order:
Greece's largest carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon and Erbil in Iraq until March 2.
Air France cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel and Beirut in Lebanon for Saturday.
KLM brought forward the suspension of its Amsterdam–Tel Aviv service, cancelling the flight scheduled for Saturday. The Dutch arm of Air France‑KLM had announced on Wednesday that flights would be halted from Sunday, but has now advanced that date.
Only one flight to Tel Aviv had been scheduled for Saturday.
ICAG-owned British Airways said it has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until March 3 and its flight to Amman on Saturday.
The Spanish airline owned by Iberia Group cancelled a flight to Tel Aviv scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. local time.
The airline said it was monitoring regional updates.
Japan Airlines cancelled a flight on Saturday from Tokyo Haneda to Doha as well as a return flight on March 1, Nikkei said.
LOT Polish Airlines returned its flight LO121 from Warsaw to Dubai to Warsaw.
The German airline suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon, and Oman until March 7 and flights to and from Dubai on Saturday and Sunday.
They also said they would not fly through Israeli, Lebanese, Jordanian, Iraqi and Iranian airspace until March 7.
The Nordic airline suspended all flights to and from Dubai until March 4, a company spokesperson said. The carrier did not suspend flights to Tel Aviv in Israel or Beirut in Lebanon as these destinations are only active in summer, he added.
The airline told Reuters it had suspended its flight to Tel Aviv from Copenhagen on Saturday. No decision had been made regarding flights on later dates.
The airline cancelled flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman on Saturday and flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan until March 2.
Virgin Atlantic said it will temporarily avoid Iraqi airspace, resulting in some pre-planned rerouting of its flights and has cancelled its VS400 service from London Heathrow to Dubai on Saturday.
The airline said it has temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
The airline halted flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman with immediate effect until March 7.
It added that operational decisions would continue to be reviewed, and the flight schedule could be adjusted as the situation evolves.
(Compiled by Josephine Mason; Reporting by Reuters buros; editing by Barbara Lewis)
Airlines such as AEGEAN, Air France KLM, British Airways, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, and Wizz Air cancelled flights to affected Middle Eastern destinations.
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Jordan has been avoided or closed, impacting flights across the region.
Suspensions vary by airline, with many halting flights until at least early March or until further notice as the situation evolves.
Yes, the EU aviation regulator advised its airlines to avoid affected airspace, resulting in suspended or rerouted services.
Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai, Erbil, Amman, and Doha are among the most affected airports due to the widespread cancellations.
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