On Sunday, Mar. 1, 2026, after the attack on Iran by the United States, Israel shut down many of its airports in the Middle East. Flights have been canceled, airports and airspaces are closed. Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Hoha, including the Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, were shut down. These are important hubs for travel between Europe, Africa, and the West to Asia. Other airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways have also been shut down. Airspace or airports in Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates were closed.
On Sunday, over 2,800 flights were canceled to and from airports across the Middle East, including airports that reopened in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. International airports in London, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangkok, Istanbul, Sri Lanka and Paris have also reported cancellations of flights.
Many airports are temporarily suspending flights to and from the Middle East. Emirates suspended all flights to and from Dubai until Monday. Air India suspended all flights to and from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Qatar until Tuesday.
Two airports in the United Arab Emirates reported strikes. Officials at Dubai International Airport reported injuries from four people. Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi reported the death of one person and injuries from seven people in a drone strike. Strikes were also reported at Kuwait International Airport.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists and business travelers are left stranded in airports and foreign countries. On the resort island of Bali in Indonesia, airport authorities reported that more than 1,600 tourists were stranded at I Gusti Rai International Airport on Sunday after five flights to the Middle East were canceled.
Airlines urge passengers to check their flight status online before arriving at the airport. Some airlines have issued waivers, allowing travelers to rebook their flights without paying extra fees. Other airlines have offered full refunds. Travelers were left confused as they tried to get answers from websites or through busy phone lines. Many people were unable to get updated information about their flights. It is still unknown when airports would reopen or when flights to and from the Middle East would resume.
