4,000 Flights Cancelled Daily Across The Gulf As Conflict Disrupts Global Aviation

More than 4,000 flights a day have been cancelled across the Middle East as disruptions intensify following the joint Israeli and U.S. military action against Iran, the BBC has reported.

Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said hundreds of thousands of passengers have already been affected, warning that the scale of disruption will grow if the crisis persists, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the global aviation industry.

Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows that by Monday morning, 79 per cent of global flights to Qatar and 71 per cent to the United Arab Emirates had been cancelled. The situation was even more difficult in other parts of the region, with 81 per cent of flights to Israel and 92 per cent of services to Bahrain grounded.

In the United Arab Emirates, national carrier Etihad Airways suspended services until 14:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

However, limited ad-hoc departures operated on Monday, including flight EY67 to London Heathrow, scheduled to land in the UK later in the evening.

Other Etihad flights departed for destinations including Moscow, Paris, Cairo, Delhi and Karachi, according to Flightradar24.

The airline told Reuters that some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals. All regular scheduled passenger services remain suspended.

Meanwhile, Dubai Airports announced a “limited resumption of operations” beginning Monday evening, allowing a small number of flights to operate from Dubai International and Dubai World Central airports.

Dubai-based carrier Emirates said it would prioritise customers with existing bookings on the limited services and contact affected passengers directly.

In Qatar, no flights are currently departing or arriving as the country’s airspace remains closed. Earlier on Monday, national carrier Qatar Airways confirmed that flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.

“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace,” the airline said in a statement posted on X.

Industry observers warn that prolonged airspace closures across the Gulf, a critical corridor linking Europe, Asia and Africa, could trigger sustained global travel disruption, higher airfares and logistical bottlenecks if tensions continue to escalate.

On February 28, 2026, Israel and the United States launched coordinated strikes on Iran under Operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury, targeting military sites, nuclear facilities, missile launchers, and key officials including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

President Donald Trump stated the aims were to dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities, halt its nuclear program, curb ballistic missile development, and end support for proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis, projecting a one-month timeline despite analyst skepticism.

Iran retaliated with missile barrages toward Israel and attacks on regional targets, escalating the conflict into March with strikes on Lebanon and further U.S.-Israeli operations.

Strikes began with Israel’s largest-ever sortie of 200 jets hitting 500 targets in western and central Iran, followed by U.S. attacks on airbases and drone sites.

By March 1-2, explosions rocked Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, and Beirut, with Hezbollah-linked rocket fire prompting Israeli responses. Casualties mounted, with preliminary reports of 201 dead and 747 injured in Iran, plus nine killed and 121 wounded in Israel.

The Gulf’s role as a vital Europe-Asia-Africa corridor amplified disruptions, closing airspace in Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, and Israel.

Qatar Airways halted all flights pending civil aviation clearance, while Etihad limited operations to repositioning and cargo with UAE approval.

Dubai Airports initiated partial resumption Monday evening, prioritising booked Emirates passengers amid warnings of rising fares and supply chain issues if closures persist.