Updated on: March 2, 2026 / 8:07 PM EST / CBS/AP
Air travel disruption intensified Monday as the war with Iran entered a third day, leaving airspace and airports across the Middle East closed and thousands of travelers stranded. Tourists, business travelers and religious pilgrims were stuck in hotels, airports and on cruise ships with no clear timeline for when flights to and through the region would resume.
Among those affected were more than 58,000 Indonesians visiting Islam’s holy sites in Mecca and Medina during Ramadan, and about 30,000 German tourists stranded on cruise ships, in hotels or at closed airports. Major hubs — including airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha — remained shut after being directly struck by Iranian missile and drone attacks.
A person points at a page on the Flightradar24 website that shows civilian flights avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace, in Paris, on March 1, 2026. (Anna Kurth/AFP via Getty Images)
The Dubai government said Monday its two main airports would reopen later in the day for “limited” flights, several days after closures triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliation. Dubai Airports posted on X that Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) would resume limited operations starting that evening and urged passengers not to come to the airports unless their airline had contacted them to confirm departure times.
Dubai International is the world’s busiest airport by passenger volume, handling about 95.2 million travelers last year, per Dubai Airports. Emirates said it would operate a limited number of flights Monday evening and was prioritizing customers with earlier bookings, advising people not to go to the airport unless notified. Doha-based Qatar Airways said its flights remained suspended and planned to provide an update Tuesday morning.
Several carriers canceled or suspended routes: Air France canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh, while airlines from Air India to KLM issued suspensions and advisories. Airspace over multiple countries was closed. Jordan announced its airspace would be shut from later in the evening “until further notice” to ensure civil aviation safety. Iraq extended a complete closure of civilian airspace for at least 48 hours citing ongoing regional security concerns.
Governments scrambled to assist citizens abroad after the conflict, which escalated Saturday when Israel and the U.S. bombarded Iran. U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain was setting up support systems to help nationals leave the Gulf region, home to an estimated 300,000 Britons, and was exploring a wide range of options, including potential government evacuations. “We’re working on every possible option,” she told Sky News, while noting ongoing strikes.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said a military evacuation was not feasible because of the airspace closures and that Germany was exploring other ways to bring citizens home, urging people to follow advice from travel agencies and local authorities. The German Travel Association urged tourists to remain at their booked hotels and not to attempt traveling to airports or neighboring countries. Other governments issued similar guidance.
The U.S. Embassy in Israel directed all U.S. government employees and their families to shelter in place and said it would be closed Monday, adding it was not in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans leaving Israel. President Trump said Sunday the joint operation would continue “until all of our objectives are achieved,” potentially up to four weeks. The U.S. military has reported at least four American service members killed.
Tucker Reals contributed to this report.