Updated on: March 1, 2026 / 8:32 PM EST / CBS/AP
The ongoing U.S.-Israeli strikes and Iran’s retaliatory attacks have disrupted flights across the Middle East and beyond as countries in the region closed their airspace.
More than 2,400 flights were canceled Sunday across airports in the Middle East, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and Doha in Qatar, and Manama in Bahrain were among those closed.
Emirates suspended all flights to and from Dubai until at least Sunday afternoon. Qatar’s main airport was closed until at least Monday morning, according to Qatar Airways. Israeli airspace also remained closed on Sunday. Israeli carrier El Al said it was preparing a recovery effort to bring home Israelis stranded abroad once the airspace reopens.
United Airlines canceled all U.S. departures to Tel Aviv through March 6 and their corresponding returns “due to the closure of the airspace in the region.” Flights to and from Dubai were canceled through March 4, the airline said.
Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad typically handle about 90,000 passengers per day through their hub airports and even more travelers heading to Middle East destinations, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
“For travelers, there’s no way to sugarcoat this,” said Henry Harteveldt, an airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group. “You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end.”
Airlines flying over the Middle East must reroute many flights south over Saudi Arabia. That adds hours to flights and consumes additional fuel, raising costs for carriers and creating the potential for higher ticket prices if the disruption continues.
Mike McCormick, a former FAA air traffic control official, said some countries may reopen parts of their airspace in the coming days once U.S. and Israeli authorities share where military flights are operating and assessments of Iran’s missile capabilities are clearer.
“Those countries then will be able to go through and say, OK, we can reopen this portion of our space but we’ll keep this portion of our airspace closed,” McCormick said. “So I think what we’ll see in the next 24 to 36 hours how the use of airspace evolves as the kinetic activity gets more well-defined and as the capability of Iran to actually shoot missiles and create additional risk is diminished due to the attacks.”
The situation was changing quickly and airlines urged passengers to check flight status online before heading to the airport. Some carriers issued waivers allowing affected travelers to rebook without change fees or higher fares.