Hundreds more flights were canceled on Monday, widening the upheaval in global air travel caused by the US-Israel war against Iran, with hundreds of thousands of passengers already stranded.
Shares in major airlines came under pressure after days of disruption, with Donald Trump indicating US military action could last another four weeks.
Major airports in the Middle East, including Dubai, the world’s busiest international hub, closed for the third day in a row amid the most acute aviation shock since the Covid-19 pandemic paralyzed the industry.
Flights were canceled across the Middle East, disrupting thousands of services so far, while international airlines continued to suspend services.
As of early Monday, 1,239 flights had already been cancelled. Dubai-based Emirates Airlines; Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi; and Qatar Airways, based in Doha; They have collectively canceled hundreds of flights.
Other operators canceled services throughout the region. Air India canceled flights on Sunday departing from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to major cities in Europe and North America.
Nearly 2,800 flights were canceled on Saturday and 3,156 on Sunday, according to the tracking platform FlightAware.
“For travelers, there’s no way to sugarcoat this,” said Henry Harteveldt, airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group. “They should prepare for delays or cancellations over the next few days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end.”
The airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar was still largely empty as of Monday, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.
The impact spread far beyond the Middle East, with passengers stranded from Bali to Frankfurt.
Among the most affected airlines are:
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Emirates Airlines, the world’s largest international airline, has suspended all planned services to and from Dubai until 3:00 pm UAE time (10:00 pm AEDT, 11 am GMT and 6 am EST) on Monday.
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Etihad Airways, which suspended all flights to and from Abu Dhabi until 2 pm UAE time (9 pm AEDT, 10 am GMT and 5 am EST) on Monday.
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Qatar Airways, which suspended flight operations due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
As the conflict spread to Lebanon – with Israel carrying out airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs after Iran-aligned Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel – much of the region’s airspace remained closed. Key airports, including Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar, were closed or severely restricted.
Crew and pilots are now dispersed around the world, complicating the process of resuming flights whenever airspace reopens.
As many passengers scrambled to find information on the status of planned trips, gathering at some of the world’s busiest commercial airports amid widespread delays and cancellations, the super-rich found an alternative route out of the Middle East.
“Saudi Arabia is the only real option for people who want to leave the region right now,” Ameerh Naran, CEO of private jet agency Vimana Private, told Semafor, estimating the cost of private jets from Riyadh to Europe at up to $350,000.
The region and its airlines have become accustomed to travel disruptions in recent years, but such a prolonged closure of the skies (more than 24 hours) and the closure of the Gulf’s three main transit hubs are unprecedented, analysts said.
The Gulf is also a major intersection for air cargo, putting further pressure on trade routes in addition to disruptions at sea.
Shares in Japan Airlines fell 5.6%, Singapore Airlines fell 4.5%, Qantas Airlines fell 5.4% and Cathay Pacific fell 2.9% as investors contemplated the impact of the Iran war on the aerospace industry.
Shippers around the world are also facing higher oil prices after Brent crude rose as much as 13% to $80 a barrel, with analysts predicting it could rise as high as $100.
“For everyone, the main impact will come through oil prices, which will obviously increase,” said aviation advisor Bertrand Grabowski.
Some flights that have taken place have been diverted to avoid closed or restricted airspace. Iranian and Iraqi flyover routes had become more important since the war between Russia and Ukraine forced airlines to avoid both countries’ airspace.
Airspace closures in the Middle East are squeezing airlines into tighter corridors, and fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan adds additional risk, said Ian Petchenik, communications director at Flightradar24. “The risk of prolonged disruption is the primary concern from a commercial aviation perspective,” he said.
AP and Reuters contributed to this report.
