• Airlines cancelled 1,560 flights to the Middle East on Monday, representing 41% of total scheduled flights, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
  • Cancellation rates hit 97% for Bahrain, 81.6% for Qatar, and 75% for the UAE as major hubs remain suspended for a third day.
  • The disruptions, stemming from US and Israeli strikes on Iran starting February 28, have closed airspace across multiple countries, rippling through global aviation networks.

Massive flight cancellations continued across the Middle East on March 2, 2026, with Cirium reporting 1,555 of 5,340 scheduled flights (29.12%) cancelled as of 10:00 UK time. The ongoing airspace closures in Iran, Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE have grounded operations at key hubs like Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, affecting airlines worldwide and stranding millions of passengers.

According to people familiar with the matter, carriers are scrambling to reroute flights and manage backlogs, with limited data coverage potentially understating impacts in Iran and the UAE. "We are only operating in approved airspace," said a spokesperson for Emirates, the state-owned full-service carrier based in Dubai, which has suspended flights until at least March 3 at 11:00 GMT. Efforts to reach Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways for comment were unsuccessful, but both have issued similar safety statements.

The situation developed rapidly after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting immediate airspace closures. On Monday, cancellation rates soared to 92.22% in Bahrain, 80.70% in Israel, 79.19% in Qatar, and 71.64% in the UAE, according to Cirium data. Gulf Air, for instance, is pending regulatory clearance from Bahraini authorities to resume operations. This marks the third day of suspensions, with disruptions severing long-haul connections via Gulf hubs and rippling to Europe-Asia-North America routes. India alone reported 350 cancellations on March 1, with Mumbai seeing 57.

Airlines are offering flexible rebooking and refunds to mitigate passenger impacts. IndiGo (INDIGO.NS) has extended suspensions to March 7, while Air India Express is allowing no-fee changes. Lufthansa Group (LHA.DE) has suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, and other affected destinations until March 8, and KLM has halted services to Tel Aviv and Dubai until March 5. British Airways has similarly extended cancellations for Tel Aviv and Bahrain routes beyond March 4. Without a swift resolution, the backlog could take days to clear, as aircraft and crews remain displaced.

Geopolitical risks are accelerating airspace avoidance, reminiscent of the 2022 Ukraine war effects, when regional cancellation rates hit 24-38%. Russian airlines, for example, have rerouted to Gulf alternatives amid Iran and Israel bans. The fluid situation requires hourly updates, with Cirium and travel assistance firm AirHelp predicting a multi-day recovery even after airspace reopens. In the long term, prolonged restrictions could raise fares and shift traffic to alternative hubs in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Turkiye, where cancellation rates are lower at 4-13%.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the total number of cancelled flights; it has been updated to reflect Cirium's latest data.