London — The US and Israeli attacks on Iran are disrupting flights to the Middle East and beyond, as regional airspace begins to close and thousands of travelers around the world are stranded.
Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar closed their airspace on Saturday. Airspace in southern Syria was also closed.
Flights bound for cities such as Tel Aviv and Dubai were diverted or returned to where they took off early Saturday.
Dubai International Airport alone – the world’s busiest airport for international flights – reported more than 700 inbound and outbound flights cancelled. Flights at Dubai International and Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International Airport on the outskirts of the Gulf city were grounded indefinitely, airport operators said.
The situation is changing fast and airlines are urging passengers to check their flight status online before heading to the airport.
Jonathan Escott and his fiance had arrived at the airport in Newcastle, England, only to find that their direct Emirates flight to Dubai had been cancelled, leaving everyone on board stranded.
Escott said he was about an hour from the airport to return to where he lives with family, but it is not known when he will be able to travel.
“Nobody knows,” Escott said. “Nobody really knows what’s going on with the conflict. Not Emirates, Emirates doesn’t have a clue. Nobody has a clue.”
The closure is likely to have significant ripple effects not just for Dubai-based Emirates but for many other airlines flying in and out of the city.
Separately, Emirates said it would temporarily suspend operations to and from Dubai International Airport, and Air Canada canceled daily flights to and from Dubai.
Qatar Airways Group has temporarily canceled flights to and from Doha due to the closure of the airspace.
Dutch airline KLM announced earlier this week that it would suspend flights to and from Tel Aviv from Sunday.
Airlines including Lufthansa, Air France, Transvia, Qatar Airways and Pegasus have canceled all flights to Lebanon.
Virgin Atlantic canceled its flights from London’s Heathrow Airport to Dubai and said it would avoid flying over Iraq, meaning flights to and from India, the Maldives and Riyadh could take longer. The airline was already not flying over Iran. Virgin Atlantic said all flights carry adequate fuel in case of short-term rerouting.
Flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain will be suspended until next week, and flights to Amman, Jordan, will be canceled on Saturday, British Airways said.
United Airlines said flights bound for Tel Aviv and Dubai were diverted or turned back to the US on Saturday morning. It has offered travel waivers so passengers can change their flights at no cost.
Flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan will be suspended until Monday, and flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman will be suspended on Saturday, Turkish Airlines said in X. Additional cancellations may be announced, the airline said.
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Levy reports from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press writer Adam Schreck in Bangkok contributed to this report.
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