Hundreds more flights cancelled as world faces worst travel chaos since Covid pandemic | US-Israel war on Iran

Hundreds more flights were canceled on Monday, further adding to the turmoil in global air travel caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran, with hundreds of thousands of passengers already stranded.

Major airline shares came under pressure after days of disruption as Donald Trump said US military action could last another four weeks.

The Middle East’s major airports, including Dubai, the world’s busiest international hub, closed for the third day in a row amid the worst aviation shock since the Covid-19 pandemic paralyzed the industry.

As international carriers continue to suspend their services, flights in the Middle East have been canceled and thousands of services have been disrupted so far.

By early Monday, 1,239 flights had been canceled. Dubai-based Emirates Airlines; Etihad Airways, headquartered in Abu Dhabi; and Doha-based Qatar Airways; We canceled hundreds of flights collectively.

Other operators canceled their services across the region. Air India canceled flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to major cities in Europe and North America on Sunday.

Almost 2,800 flights were canceled on Saturday and 3,156 on Sunday, according to tracking platform FlightAware.

“There’s no way to cover this up for passengers,” said Henry Harteveldt, an airline industry analyst and president of the Atmosphere Research Group. “You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end.”

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar was nearly empty as of Monday, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24.

The impact spread far beyond the Middle East, with passengers stranded from Bali to Frankfurt.

Among the airlines most disrupted were:

• Emirates Airlines, the world’s largest international carrier, suspended all scheduled services to and from Dubai on Monday until 3pm UAE time (22:00 AEDT, 11:00 GMT and 06:00 EST).

• Etihad Airways has suspended all flights to and from Abu Dhabi on Monday until 14:00 UAE time (21:00 AEDT, 10:00 GMT and 05:00 EST).

• Qatar Airways has suspended flight operations due to the closure of Qatar airspace.

As the conflict spread into Lebanon – with Israel launching airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs after Iran’s Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel – much of the region’s airspace remained closed. Major airports, including Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Doha in Qatar, have been closed or severely restricted.

Crews and pilots are now dispersed around the world, complicating the process of restarting flights once airspace reopens.

While many travelers struggle to find information on the status of planned trips, congregating at some of the world’s busiest commercial airports due to widespread delays and cancellations, the ultra-rich have found an alternative route through the Middle East.

“Saudi Arabia is currently the only real option for those looking to exit the region,” said Ameerh Naran, managing director of private jet broker Vimana Private. He told SemaphorePrivate jets from Riyadh to Europe cost up to $350,000.

Analysts said the region and airlines had become accustomed to travel disruptions over the past few years, but such a prolonged closure of the skies – more than 24 hours – and the closure of three major transit hubs in the Gulf was unprecedented.

The Gulf is also a key crossroads for air cargo transport, putting further pressure on trade routes alongside maritime disruption.

Japan Airlines shares tumbled 5.6%, Singapore Airlines 4.5%, Qantas Airlines 5.4% and Cathay Pacific 2.9% as investors considered the impact of the Iran war on the aviation industry.

Carriers around the world are also facing higher oil prices after Brent crude rose as much as 13% to $80 a barrel, with analysts predicting prices could go as high as $100.

“The main impact for everyone will come from oil prices, which will obviously go up,” said aviation consultant Bertrand Grabowski.

Some flights have been rerouted to avoid closed or restricted airspace. Iran and Iraq flight routes have become even more important since the Russia-Ukraine war forced airlines to avoid the airspace of both countries.

Flightradar24 communications director Ian Petchenik said the closure of Middle East airspace now squeezes airlines into narrower corridors and the war between Pakistan and Afghanistan poses greater risks. “The risk of prolonged disruption is a key concern for commercial aviation,” he said.

AP and Reuters contributed to this report