Hundreds of thousands of passengers are stranded as thousands more flights were cancelled on Monday following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Gulf airports and airlines have suspended normal operations until at least Tuesday, marking the most acute aviation shock since the Covid pandemic.
Almost 1,700 flights to the Middle East had been cancelled by Monday morning, according to Cirium, though the figure is artificially low due to limited data from Iran and the UAE. Saturday saw 2,800 cancellations and Sunday 3,156, according to FlightAware. Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar remains virtually empty.
UK carriers have been affected: British Airways cancelled Monday’s Larnaca service, easyJet cancelled return flights between Paphos, Larnaca and the UK on Monday and Tuesday after a drone hit the RAF base in Akrotiri. Virgin Atlantic said avoiding Iraqi airspace is affecting flight times to Asia, and has cancelled Dubai flights from London until Wednesday.
Some airlines and travel companies are offering refunds or free changes for those due to travel in the coming weeks. BA has told passengers flying to the Gulf, Israel or Jordan until 15 March they can delay travel free of charge. Emirates and Etihad are poised to resume selected flights on Monday evening, offering hope of wider travel resumption.
The disruption extends beyond the Middle East, with passengers stranded from Bali to Frankfurt. Air India cancelled flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to European and North American cities. Private jet bookings from Riyadh to Europe cost up to $350,000 (£260,000), according to Vimana Private.
Shares in Tui dropped 9% and IAG fell 5% amid the chaos. Analysts said the prolonged closure of all three big Gulf transit hubs is unprecedented, even for a region used to travel disruption.
