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International travel across the Middle East has reached a near-total standstill as more major airlines have extended flight suspensions on Sunday.
Both Emirates and Etihad, the two major airlines of the United Arab Emirates, have announced that flights to the region will not take place until at least Monday, March 2. The grounding of hundreds of flights follows a “pre-emptive” US-Israeli strike on Iran and subsequent retaliatory missile attacks that have rendered regional airspace unsafe for civilian aviation.
The Emirates statement in full reads: “Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai, up until 1500hrs UAE time on Monday, 2 March. If you are booked to travel before or on 5 March, your options are:
“Rebook on an alternate flight. You can rebook on another flight to your intended destination up to 20 days from your original date of travel. If you booked your flight with a travel agent, please contact them. If you booked with us directly, contact us at http://emirat.es/support.
“Request for refund. You can request for a refund of your ticket by completing the refund form at http://emirat.es/refund if you booked with us directly. If you booked your flights with a travel agent, please contact them.
“We urge all customers to check here before proceeding to the airport.”
The statement continues: “Customers impacted by flight cancellations must contact their travel agency for rebooking. If booked directly with Emirates, please contact us here.
“Customers are requested to ensure their contact details are correct by visiting here to receive updates.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and engaging with relevant authorities. We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”
The full Etihad statement reads: “Regional airspace closures continue to impact Etihad’s operations, and all flights to and from Abu Dhabi are suspended until 02:00 UAE time on Monday 2 March.
Guests due to travel are advised to:
“We are currently experiencing a high volume of calls and appreciate your patience as it may take longer than usual for calls to be answered. The situation remains dynamic and schedules may change at short notice.”
The statement continues: “Etihad continues to work in close coordination with the relevant authorities and will resume normal operations as soon as conditions permit.
“The safety of Etihad’s guests and staff is our highest priority. We apologise for the inconvenience and appreciate our guests’ understanding.”
The region’s three largest hubs — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha — are currently seeing almost zero commercial activity.
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Here are all of the flight suspensions across the major airlines:
Airlines are warning passengers currently stranded in airports or hotels to remain vigilant.
Qatar Airways has issued an urgent warning regarding fraudulent social media accounts impersonating staff to steal personal and banking data. Passengers are being told not to travel to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking on a flight that is definitely operating.
The Foreign Office (FCDO) has upgraded its guidance to a high-level alert.
If you are currently in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar, or the UAE, you are advised to register your presence with the UK Government immediately to receive direct safety updates.
Otherwise, the instruction remains to stay indoors in a secure location and avoid all non-essential movement.
While some 83 flights were technically scheduled between the UK and the Middle East today, aviation analytics suggest the vast majority will be cancelled or diverted.
Industry experts warn that even if airspace begins to reopen on Monday, it could take several days to clear the backlog of tens of thousands of stranded passengers.
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