Airlines cancel flights amid escalating tensions in the Middle East

Emirates and flydubai on Tuesday announced the cancellation of all flights to Iraq, Iran, and Jordan scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday due to rising tensions in the region.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways also stated that it is rerouting several flights on Wednesday in response to airspace restrictions across parts of the Middle East.

A spokesperson for the flight tracking service FlightRadar24 revealed that flights in the region were diverting "anywhere they could" to avoid restricted airspace.

A snapshot of regional air traffic shows flights rerouting in wide arcs, with many converging on major airports in Cairo and Istanbul. FlightRadar24 also reported increasing congestion in Istanbul and Antalya, southern Turkey, forcing some airlines to redirect further south.

On Tuesday, approximately 80 flights, including those operated by Emirates, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Qatar Airways, were diverted to cities such as Cairo and several European destinations, according to FlightRadar24 data.

Many airlines have since suspended flights to the Middle East or are avoiding affected airspace altogether.

Regional tensions

The tensions stem from Iran's retaliatory strikes following Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah, Tehran’s allies in Lebanon. Israel has vowed a "painful response" to the attacks.

Eurocontrol, the pan-European air traffic control agency, issued an urgent navigation bulletin warning pilots of the escalating conflict. "A major missile attack has been launched against Israel in the last few minutes. At present the entire country is under a missile warning," Eurocontrol stated.

The agency later announced the closure of Jordanian and Iraqi airspace, along with a key crossing point into airspace controlled by Cyprus.

UAE airlines' Beirut flights

Earlier, Emirates and flydubai had already suspended flights to Beirut, with Emirates halting operations between Dubai and Beirut until October 8 and flydubai canceling its Dubai-Beirut flights through October 7.

Sharjah-based Air Arabia released a statement saying, "Due to the current situation, flights to Beirut from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi remain suspended."

Passengers transiting through Abu Dhabi and Dubai en route to Beirut will not be accepted for flights, according to the airlines. All three carriers confirmed they are closely monitoring the situation and will adjust flight schedules as necessary.