Airlines canceled hundreds of flights after the US and Israeli attacks on Iran

Airlines canceled hundreds of Middle East flights after the US and Israel launched military strikes in Iran, while dozens of others were diverted due to closed airspace. Some services have been suspended until at least the end of next week.

Travel confusion has spread as far as Brazil and Australia. The airspace closure forced carriers to scrub flights that normally service the area.

More than 1,800 flights in and out of Middle Eastern countries were canceled on Saturday, according to aviation data firm Sirius. Another 1,400 flights in and out of the region were canceled on Sunday, Sirium added.

Qatar Airways said it was temporarily suspending all flights, while Dubai-based Emirates said services at Dubai International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, were suspended. “We apologize to customers affected by the disruption for any inconvenience and are assisting them with rebooking, refunds or alternative travel arrangements,” Emirates said in a statement. “The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.”

Airspace is closed over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, according to Flightradar24.

Air India on Saturday said it was suspending all flights to the Middle East. It later canceled scheduled flights between India and Europe and the United States on Sunday, a sign of how the airspace closure will affect flights that regularly ply the region. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has also canceled all departures to and from that airport until Sunday afternoon.

Lufthansa Group said it will suspend flights to Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Tehran until March 7. It said it would reroute some of its flights to avoid airspace in the region.

A American Airlines According to FlightRadar24, the flight from Philadelphia to Doha diverted near Spain and was returning to Philadelphia at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. Emirates flights from the US to Dubai were diverted to airports across Europe. As of Saturday afternoon ET, the airline had about a dozen crew members — pilots and flight attendants — still in Doha, according to people familiar with the matter.

According to a memo to the airline’s staff seen by CNBC, the crew was instructed to shelter in their hotel in Doha.

“Our corporate security teams and others across the airline have been actively monitoring the situation throughout the evening and are coordinating closely with the US government today,” American wrote.

United Airlines Flights from the US to Tel Aviv have been canceled until March 6, with flights to Dubai canceled through March 4. Crews and aircraft have departed from Tel Aviv and plans are underway to evacuate crews in Dubai, the spokesman said. Tel Aviv flights are the most profitable for the airline, which offers the most international service among US airlines.

Delta Air Lines It said its Tel Aviv service would be canceled at least until Sunday.

Airlines are periodically forced to cancel flights and skirt parts of the Middle East due to security concerns. Airspace closures mean airlines must take longer routes to other destinations that previously served the region, requiring more fuel, which increases costs.