Middle East airspace closures ground flights across Gulf hubs
A wide corridor of Middle East airspace remained closed on Monday 2 March as countries neighbouring Iran restricted flights, leaving skies over the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain and Iraq largely empty. Operations at major hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were suspended, with thousands of flights cancelled on Sunday and Monday. Airlines continue to reroute services worldwide, while schedules remain curtailed – Lufthansa has suspended Dubai flights until 4 March and services to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam and Tehran until 8 March, and British Airways has cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday. The disruption at Gulf hubs is impacting global connectivity, including long‑haul links to and from Africa.
Travellers should check with their airline or agent for rebooking and refunds as policies vary. Emirates allows customers booked to fly on or before 5 March to rebook for travel up to 20 March or request a refund; Etihad permits free rebooking to 18 March for tickets issued on or before 28 February with travel dates up to 7 March; British Airways offers free date changes for affected routes up to 15 March for travel on or before 29 March, with refunds available for some bookings up to 8 March. Governments have issued heightened advisories – the US urges global caution and STEP enrolment, Canada advises avoiding travel to several states in the region, the UK asks nationals in selected countries to register for updates, and Australia warns of serious disruption. The UAE has asked hotels to extend stays and will cover food and accommodation for stranded travellers, while options for repatriation flights are being explored.
Source: CNN Travel