Global air travel faced significant disruptions as major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai, the world’s busiest international hub, remained closed due to ongoing air strikes, marking one of the most severe aviation crises in recent memory. Key transit hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha were either shut down or operating under severe restrictions as a large portion of the region’s airspace remained inaccessible following the fatal attacks on Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by US and Israeli forces over the weekend.
Israel conducted additional airstrikes against Iran while explosive sounds reverberated near Dubai and over Doha for a second consecutive day in response to Iran’s retaliatory air assaults on neighboring Gulf nations. Dubai International Airport suffered damage during these attacks, with airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait also being impacted. The disruption has led to the cancellation or delay of thousands of flights throughout the Middle East, according to FlightAware.
FlightAware data illustrated that airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar was largely deserted, as displayed on maps by Flightradar24 early the following day. Flightradar24 noted the issuance of a new “Notice to Airmen” (NOTAM) extending the closure of Iranian airspace until at least 0830 GMT on March 3.
The repercussions of the airport closures extended well beyond the Middle East, affecting global air travel operations.