Update @ 8:18 a.m.
Middle East airspace is closed after strikes involving Iran are forcing airlines to divert flights mid-air, triggering delays, cancellations and longer routes worldwide.
Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world's busiest international hub, has suspended all flight operations indefinitely.
Retaliatory strikes by Iran targeted the UAE's Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Qatar's Doha, and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh hours after Israel and the US conducted joint strikes on Iran.
There are significant cancellations at airports in Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Al Jazeera reports airspace is closed over Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
6:30 a.m.
Air travel across the Middle East is in disarray today following a US airstrike on Iran.
The attack has forced airlines to cancel flights normally routed over Iranian airspace. Service to major hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Riyadh has been particularly affected, with some departures scrubbed from schedules and others forced into circuitous tracks that loop well clear of any potential conflict zone.
Trump has called the attack "massive, and ongoing."
Middle Eastern carriers are bearing the brunt of the operational chaos. European and North American airlines, including KLM, Air France, Lufthansa, United Airlines and Air Canada, have curtailed or paused flights into Tel Aviv, Dubai, Doha and other gateways, citing heightened security and insurance concerns. Crowded departure boards show waves of cancellations and delays, and transfer desks are jammed with displaced passengers trying to salvage their trips.
Turkish Airlines said on X that flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan will be suspended until Monday and flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman would be suspended on Saturday, Yahoo News reports.
After Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, Iran responded with limited missile attacks on US forces in the Gulf. According to the BBC, Israel's defence minister said Israel had launched a "pre-emptive attack" against Iran, with explosions heard across the country.
The network said some countries in the region - including Iraq and Jordan - have also closed their airspace. The UAE said it has "partially and temporarily" closed its airspace as a precaution, state media reported.
"We have not seen strikes like these across the Middle East before," CNN reports. "Iran appears to be striking US targets in several countries at once, with blasts heard from the beaches of Dubai to the streets of Doha."
Airlines are warning that ad‑hoc cancellations, schedule cuts and extended routings are likely to persist until the regional security picture stabilizes.
Air Canada has advisories posted for flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv for 01MAR due to potential political issues. The airline said it has issued a flexible booking policy for customers on affected flights.
As of 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time on 28FEB Flight Aware was showing hundreds of cancelled flights in the Middle East, including more than 200 in and out of DXB, and nearly 20% of flights cancelled in and out of TLV.
Stay tuned to Open Jaw for more details on this far-reaching story.
