Airlines Suspend Flights Amid Rising Tensions in the Middle East
Flight Disruptions Following Military Strikes
On Saturday, numerous global airlines halted or redirected their flights across the Middle East due to military actions initiated by the United States and Israel against Iran, escalating tensions in the region. Flight tracking services indicated that the airspace over Iran was nearly deserted after Israel confirmed its strikes and the US military commenced attacks on Iranian targets. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missiles. This escalation has diminished the prospects for a diplomatic resolution regarding Tehran's nuclear program and has rekindled hostilities following a period of increased US military presence in the area.
The Middle East, which is usually one of the busiest air travel routes globally, has experienced ongoing disruptions amid escalating tensions. With the airspace over Russia and Ukraine largely closed due to the ongoing conflict, routes through the Middle East have gained significance for flights connecting Europe and Asia. Airlines are grappling with growing operational difficulties as conflict zones expand, raising fears of accidental or intentional downing of commercial flights. Additionally, longer rerouted flights lead to increased fuel consumption and operational costs.
In response to the military actions, airspace closures were enacted by Israel, Iran, Iraq, and Jordan. A regional map from Flightradar24 illustrated that aircraft were avoiding the impacted areas. Several Qatar Airways flights that took off on Saturday morning were observed circling over Kuwait or Saudi Arabia before returning to Qatari airspace and holding near Doha, as per Flightradar24 data.
Russia's transport ministry announced that Russian airlines had suspended flights to both Iran and Israel. Lufthansa, the German airline, stated it would suspend flights to and from Dubai on Saturday and Sunday, along with temporarily halting routes to Tel Aviv, Beirut, and Oman until March 7. Air France also canceled its flights to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut. Iberia followed suit by canceling flights to Tel Aviv, while Wizz Air announced an immediate suspension of flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until the same date.
Kuwait's aviation authority declared a halt to all flights to Iran until further notice, as reported by the state news agency. Oman Air also suspended all flights to Baghdad due to the regional situation. The United Arab Emirates has partially and temporarily closed its airspace as a precaution, according to its state news agency. A representative from the Emirati airline flydubai mentioned that several flights were affected due to the temporary closure of airspace in the region on February 28.
KLM, the Dutch subsidiary of Air France-KLM, expedited the suspension of its Amsterdam–Tel Aviv service, canceling the flight scheduled for Saturday following the strikes in Iran. The airline had previously announced on Wednesday that flights would be suspended starting Sunday, March 1. Only one flight to Tel Aviv was planned for Saturday. In addition to these airlines, a variety of international carriers have canceled or suspended services to various destinations across the Middle East, including Air India, British Airways, Iberia Express, IndiGo, Japan Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Air Algérie, Scandinavian Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, and ITA Airways.