by Donald Wood
Last updated: 2:20 PM ET, Mon March 2, 2026
Update: March 2, 2026, at 2:20 p.m. ET
Several international airlines serving the Middle East have
restarted a small number of flights from the United Arab Emirates on Monday.
According to The
Associated Press, Etihad Airways, Emirates, and FlyDubai announced plans to
operate select flights from Abu Dhabi and Dubai despite the ongoing airstrikes
from the United States and Israel in Iran.
Israeli airline El Al also revealed on Monday that it would consider
chartering private jets to bring stranded citizens back to Israel.
Update: March 2, 2026, at 8:02 a.m. ET
The United States Department of State issued a Worldwide
Caution over the weekend following the joint military strikes on Iran and
related targets by the U.S. and Israel.
According to the State Department’s official
website, American citizens around the world—and especially in the Middle
East—are asked to practice extra caution and follow the guidance in the latest
security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
Travelers are advised that the launch of U.S. combat
operations in Iran may cause travel disruptions due to periodic airspace
closures, and the State Department has advised Americans worldwide to exercise
increased caution.
“For travelers, there’s no way to sugarcoat this,” airline
industry analyst Henry Harteveldt told ABCNews.com.
“You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days as these
attacks evolve and hopefully end.”
Update: March 1, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET
In the wake of joint
U.S.-Israeli
military attacks and Iran’s retaliatory strikes, more than 2,400 flights
across the Middle
East were cancelled on Sunday, stranding thousands of travelers in the
region.
Airports in the United
Arab Emirates, including Dubai
and Abu Dhabi; Doha, Qatar;
and Manama, Bahrain remained completely closed on Sunday. Qatar
Airways has reported that Qatar’s airport will remain shuttered through at
least Monday morning.
Israel’s
airspace also remains closed. United
Airlines has suspended all flights from the U.S. to the Israeli capital of
Tel Aviv through March 6, citing airspace closures in the region. The carrier
also said Saturday night that service to and from Dubai will remain halted
through March 4.
According to
aviation data firm Cirium, Emirates
Airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad
Airways collectively transport roughly 90,000 passengers a day through
their major hub airports, with even more travelers flying onward to
destinations across the Middle East.
"For
travelers, there's no way to sugarcoat this," said Henry Harteveldt, an
airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, told CBS
News. "You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few
days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end."
Conditions
continue to evolve rapidly, prompting carriers to advise customers to confirm
their flight status online before making their way to the airport.
Update: February 28, 2026, at 2:20 p.m. ET
Delta Air Lines has suspended flights to Tel Aviv from John
F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City through March 1 in response
to the ongoing conflict in the region.
Travelers scheduled to fly with Delta who have been impacted
by the flight cancellations will receive notifications via the airline’s app
and the contact information listed in their reservation as these cancellations
are processed in the system.
Original Text
Following joint military strikes on Iran by the United States
and Israel, airlines serving the Middle East have suspended flights around the
impacted area.
According to Reuters.com,
witnesses in the region reported explosions across the Gulf, including in Iran,
Qatar's Doha, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Flight-tracking websites showed empty airspace over Iran,
Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Qatar, Jordan, and Bahrain, with almost 40 percent of
flights to Israel canceled and 6.7 percent of flights to the Middle East
suspended.
Qatar Airways Group announced it temporarily canceled
flights to and from Doha, while Emirates’ service faced major disruptions after
Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world,
announced the suspension of all flight operations.
Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport was temporarily
shut down as well, with planes en route to Israel rerouted to other airports. Dutch
airline KLM has already suspended flights to Tel Aviv, while Turkish Airlines
and Virgin Atlantic suspended service to the impacted regions.
Other carriers cancelling flights to the Middle East due to
the military action include British Airways, Germany's Lufthansa, and Wizz Air.
Topics From This Article to Explore
