Finance
Factbox-Middle East flights halted after US-Israel strike on Iran
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 1, 2026
5 min readLast updated: March 1, 2026
Quick Summary
Following the U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran on February 28, airspace across at least eight Middle Eastern countries was shut, grounding hundreds of flights and halting operations at key hubs, including in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Airlines from around the globe suspended services, leaving travelers s
Middle East flights halted after US-Israel strike on Iran
Impact of US-Israel Strike on Middle East Air Travel
March 1 (Reuters) - Airlines kept cancelling flights across the Middle East on Sunday, as much of the region’s airspace remained closed a day after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunging the region into a new conflict.
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar remained virtually empty, maps by flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed, and air strikes kept major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha shut or severely restricted.
Below is the latest on flights listed by airline in alphabetical order:
Airline Flight Cancellations and Suspensions
AEGEAN AIRLINES
Suspension Details
Greece's largest carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel, Beirut in Lebanon and Erbil in Iraq until March 2.
AIR ASTANA
Suspension Details
The group cancelled all flights to the Middle East through March 3.
AIR CANADA
Suspension Details
The airline said it has cancelled flights from Canada to Israel until March 8 and flights to Dubai until March 3.
AIR EUROPA
Suspension Details
The Spanish airline cancelled its flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday and Monday and is monitoring the situation to assess operations from Tuesday.
AIR FRANCE KLM
Suspension Details
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.
AIR INDIA
Suspension Details
The carrier cancelled flights scheduled for Sunday from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to London, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Frankfurt and Paris. It added that more flights to London, Birmingham, Amsterdam, Zurich, Milan, Vienna, Copenhagen and Frankfurt had been cancelled.
AZERBAIJAN AIRLINES
Suspension Details
The airline has suspended flights to and from Dubai, Doha, Jeddah and Tel Aviv.
BRITISH AIRWAYS
Suspension Details
IAG-owned British Airways said it has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until March 3 and its flight to Amman on Saturday.
CATHAY PACIFIC
Suspension Details
Hong Kong's Cathay Group, parent of Cathay Pacific Airways, suspended operations in the region, affecting passenger flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh, as well as freighter service at Al Maktoum airport. That is Dubai's second airport after Dubai International Airport, the primary hub that handles most passenger traffic.
EMIRATES
Suspension Details
The UAE's Emirates said in a post on X it has temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai.
ETIHAD
Suspension Details
The UAE's Etihad said flights scheduled to depart Abu Dhabi were suspended until 2 p.m. local time on Sunday.
FLYDUBAI
Suspension Details
The airline said it had temporarily suspended all flights to and from Dubai until 3 p.m. local time on Sunday.
IBERIA EXPRESS
Suspension Details
The Spanish airline owned by Iberia Group cancelled a flight to Tel Aviv scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. local time.
INDIGO
Suspension Details
IndiGo, India's biggest airline, said it had extended a temporary suspension of select international flights using the Middle East airspace until Monday.
ITA AIRWAYS
Suspension Details
ITA Airways has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv and would not use the airspace of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Iran until March 7. Flights to and from Dubai were suspended until March 1.
JAPAN AIRLINES
Suspension Details
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
Suspension Details
LOT Polish Airlines returned its flight LO121 from Warsaw to Dubai to Warsaw.
LUFTHANSA
Suspension Details
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.
It also said it would not fly through Israeli, Lebanese, Jordanian, Iraqi and Iranian airspace until March 7.
NORWEGIAN AIR
Suspension Details
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.
PEGASUS AIRLINES
Suspension Details
The airline said that flights to Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon were cancelled until and including March 2.
QATAR AIRWAYS
Suspension Details
The airline said flights remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of the Qatari airspace. It will provide a further update by 9 a.m. local time on Monday.
SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINES
Suspension Details
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.
TURKISH AIRLINES
Suspension Details
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
Suspension Details
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.
WIZZ AIR
Suspension Details
The Hungarian 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.
Editorial and Reporting Credits
(Compiled by Josephine Mason and Federico Maccioni; Reporting by Reuters buros; Editing by Barbara Lewis, Louise Heavens, Cynthia Osterman and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Key Takeaways
- •Airspace was closed by Iran, Israel, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and the UAE, triggering widespread flight cancellations—about 24% of regional flights, with over 1,000 grounded Saturday alone. (aljazeera.com)
- •Major Gulf hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha suspended operations. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and other regional carriers were heavily impacted; Etihad halted departures until 2 p.m. on March 1. (apnews.com)
- •Countless international carriers—including Air France‑KLM, Lufthansa, British Airways, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air, Japan Airlines, and more—canceled flights to or through Middle Eastern airspace, disrupting global routes and stranding travelers. (tribuneindia.com)
References
Frequently Asked Questions about Factbox-Middle East flights halted after US-Israel strike on Iran
1Which airlines cancelled flights after the US-Israel strike on Iran?
Airlines including AEGEAN, Air India, Air France KLM, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, and many others cancelled flights across the Middle East.
2Which airspaces were affected by the flight cancellations?
Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, and Bahrain was virtually empty due to the military intervention.
3How long will airlines suspend flights to the Middle East?
Suspensions vary by airline, with some halting flights until early March and others monitoring the situation daily.
4Did aviation regulators issue any guidance after the conflict?
The EU's aviation regulator recommended airlines avoid affected Middle Eastern airspace following the strikes.
5Which cities experienced major airline service disruptions?
Major disruptions affected flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai, Amman, Erbil, and other Middle Eastern hubs.
