Thousands of travellers stranded by flight disruptions
The American and Israeli attack on Iran has disrupted flights to the Middle East and beyond as countries in the region closed their airspace and key airports connecting Europe, Africa and the West to Asia were hit by attacks.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers were either stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace on Saturday.
Flight tracking site FlightRadar24 said there was no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates after the government announced a “temporary and partial closure” of its airspace.
This led to the closure of major hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha and the cancellation of more than 1,800 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines.
The three major airlines operating at these airports (Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad) typically have around 90,000 passengers a day passing through these hubs, with even more passengers heading to destinations in the Middle East, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Two airports in the United Arab Emirates reported incidents as the government there condemned what it called “an apparent attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles.”
Authorities at Dubai International Airport, the largest airport in the United Arab Emirates and the busiest airport in the world, stated that four people were injured, while Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi said that one person died and seven people were injured in the drone attack. Strikes were also reported at Kuwait International Airport.
Although Iran did not publicly claim responsibility, the scope of the retaliatory strikes that Gulf states attributed to Iran extended beyond the American bases it had previously said it would target.
Dubai’s landmark Burj Al Arab hotel was also damaged as Iran’s retaliatory attacks spread throughout the Gulf countries and the Middle East overnight.
Dubai later confirmed that a drone was captured and debris caused a small fire on the façade of the Burj Al Arab.
Dubai is the largest tourism and commercial center in the Middle East and its airport is one of the world’s busiest travel hubs.
The Burj Al Arab hotel has long been one of the most recognizable symbols of the Emirate. Opened in 1999 on an artificial island off Jumeirah Beach, the sail-shaped tower quickly became the emblem of a city that aims to reflect luxury on a global scale.
Airlines passing through the Middle East will have to reroute their flights around the conflict, with many flights heading south via Saudi Arabia. This will add hours to flights and consume additional fuel, increasing the costs airlines will have to cover. Therefore, if the conflict continues, ticket prices may begin to rise rapidly.
The added flights will also put pressure on air traffic controllers in Saudi Arabia, who will have to slow traffic to ensure they can manage it safely.
However, it is unclear how long the disruption in flight operations will last. By comparison, the Israeli and US attack on Iran in June 2025 lasted 12 days.
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