Flight cancellations to and from the Middle East continue to climb, as airspace and airport closures in the region – stemming from the war between Israel, Iran, and the USA – roll into the third day.
Data from aviation analytics company Cirium shows that over 2,000 flights to the Middle East were cancelled on 1 March, representing half of the scheduled fligts for the day.
The figure is a significant uptick from the previous day, where the cancelled flights formed about 24% of all flights.
US and Israeli forces first struck Iran on 28 February, with Tehran responding a day later by firing missiles of its own at the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
The ensuing conflict has crushed air traffic at key Middle East hubs, with major operators such as Emirates and Qatar Airways suspending operations until 2 March.
Emirates says its operations are suspended until 15:00 local time, while Qatar Airways said “an update will be provided” at 09:00 local time on 2 March. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways suspended all flights until 14:00 local time.
Israeli national carrier El Al has cancelled flights through 02:00 local time on 4 March.
Airspace over Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Syria remains shut, with some airspace in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia partially open.
Meanwhile, airlines globally have halted flights to the Middle East for longer. Asian carriers operating to Europe have also had to reroute operations to avoid the conflict regions.
Malaysia Airlines has suspended flights to Doha, Jeddah and Madinah through 5 March. The carrier notes that its flights to Paris and London are still operating as scheduled.
Singapore Airlines and Scoot, meanwhile, have also cancelled flights to the Middle East through 7 March. SIA operates daily flights to Dubai, while Scoot flies to Jeddah four times a week.
Cathay Pacific, which flies to Riyadh and Dubai, cancelled flights through 3 and 5 March respectively.
Air India has suspended flights between India and the UAE, Qatar, Israel and Saudi Arabia through 2 March 23:59 local time. Similarly, IndiGo has also cancelled operations to the Middle East through 3 March, while its European flights – to Athens, Manchester, London and Amsterdam – remain cancelled though 2 March owing to airspace closures.
Lufthansa Group, which operates to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam and Tehran, will be suspending operations until March 8.
Air France has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh through 3 March, while sister carrier KLM suspended flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam until 6 March.
