Passengers have been plunged into travel chaos after the cancellation of flights between Western Europe and the Middle East after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
The “major combat operation” confirmed by Donald Trump on Saturday morning has had a major impact on flights in the region, as Iran and Iraq’s airspaces were closed due to the escalating action.
With missiles being launched from Israel against Iran, and retaliatory strikes from Iran, flights that would normally cross those countries are being forced to divert.
A video from the flight tracking service Flightradar24 shows the overnight stream of aircraft from the Gulf crossing northeast Iraq. But from around 6 am GMT, the pattern ends with aircraft instead flying west over Saudi Arabia.
Dubai International Airport, the biggest global hub, has suspended flights. On a typical day, around a quarter of a million passengers fly in and out of “DXB”.
The main airline, Emirates, said: “Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai.
“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused, and we are assisting them with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”
Other airlines are affected. British Airways passenger Mike Boreham was aboard flight BA108, preparing to depart from Dubai to Heathrow, when the captain announced airspace had closed.
“We were all boarded,” he told The Independent. “The flight is completely full. About 10 minutes after the ‘boarding complete’ announcement we were told airspace is closed.”
After the closure was announced, many flights heading for Dubai returned to their starting points, including Emirates from Dublin, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and LOT to Warsaw – which was also the landing place for the Emirates inbound flight from Seattle.
Qatar Airways has suspended all flights to and from its hub in Doha, with flights from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dublin and Heathrow all returning to their starting points.
British Airways has cancelled its flights linking London Heathrow with Bahrain and Tel Aviv until 3 March and Saturday’s link to Amman has also been grounded.
A spokesperson told The Independent: “We are closely monitoring the situation and have taken the operational decision to cancel our flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain up to and including 03 March and have cancelled today’s service to Amman.
“Safety is always our top priority, and we're contacting our customers to advise them of their travel options.”
Virgin Atlantic has cancelled its London Heathrow-Dubai flight on Saturday “as a precautionary measure”. Flight VS400 was due out at 10.10pm, with the Airbus A350 returning on Sunday morning.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told The Independent: “The safety and security of our customers and people is always our top priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We are contacting affected customers regarding their travel arrangements.
“Due to the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, we have made the decision to temporarily avoid the airspace of Iraq, resulting in some pre-planned rerouting of our flights.”
Air Canada, Eurowings, Finnair and Swiss are also cancelling flights to and from Dubai.
Dubai International Airport is the world’s busiest aviation hub, with dozens of flights each day to and from the UK.
Emirates, the main airline at Dubai, is continuing to operate largely as normal, but has grounded its flights to Baghdad, Beirut and Amman.
FlyDubai has cancelled services to Iran and Iraq, as well as Kuwait, Tel Aviv and Damascus.
Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman with immediate effect until 7 March as a result of the strikes.
A spokesperson for the Hungarian budget airline said: “The airline is closely monitoring developments and remains in ongoing contact with local and international authorities, aviation safety agencies, security authorities, and relevant governmental bodies.
“We acknowledge the disruption this may cause and appreciate the understanding of our customers. Passengers with affected bookings will be contacted directly with information regarding their options."
Many airlines have grounded operations to and from Tel Aviv, including Delta, United, Air France, KLM, Aegean and FlyDubai.
Until around 6am GMT on Saturday, some planes were flying over Iran, mainly on north-south routes serving Dubai and other hubs. Such flights have now ended. The extended flight paths and inevitable air traffic control congestion will cause disruption until the airspace reopens.
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice to warn against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
In a statement on its website, it said: “Due to the threat posed by escalation in the region, we recommend against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
“On 28 February 2026, the US and Israel commenced joint military action in Iran, Israeli airspace has now closed.”
British nationals in the region are urged to take “sensible precautions”, including following advice from regional authorities, staying away from military facilities and ensuring travel documents are up to date.
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