Middle East Airspace Crisis US-Israel Attack on Iran Strands Thousands of Travellers

A sweeping aviation crisis gripped the Middle East on Saturday after a joint US and Israeli military attack on Iran triggered the closure of airspaces across the region, stranding tens of thousands of travellers worldwide.

Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and southern Syria all shut their skies overnight, with Iran's airspace also closed following the strikes. Israel separately confirmed that Iran's Supreme Leader was killed in the airstrikes.

Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest international hub, reported over 700 cancelled flights with operations halted indefinitely across both of its airports. Major airlines including Air India, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, Delta, United, KLM and Qatar Airways all suspended or cancelled flights to multiple Middle East destinations.

India's civil aviation authority designated large parts of the Middle East as a high-security risk zone at all altitudes, while Virgin Atlantic announced longer alternate routings for flights to India and the Maldives.

Airlines urged passengers to check flight status before travelling and were issuing free rebooking waivers to affected travellers as the situation continued to evolve rapidly.