Attack on Iran disrupts flights across Middle East and beyond

London, Feb 28: The US and Israel's attack on Iran disrupted flights across the region and beyond.

The United Arab Emirates, home to both the long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, and Israel closed their airspace on Saturday. Qatar Airways Group said it has temporarily cancelled flights to and from Doha because Qatari airspace also was closed.

Planes that were en route to Israel were rerouted to other airports, and passengers who were at Ben Gurion International Airport awaiting flights were shuttled back.

Emirates said several of its flights were affected by the UAE airspace closure and urged passengers to check their flight status online. The carrier is based at Dubai International Airport, the busiest hub for international travel.

Dutch airline KLM had already announced earlier in the week that it was suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv starting Sunday.

Virgin Atlantic cancelled its flight from Heathrow Airport in London to Dubai and said it would avoid flying over Iraq, meaning flights to and from India, the Maldives, Dubai and Riyadh could take slightly longer.

The airline already was not flying over Iran. Virgin Atlantic said all flights would carry appropriate fuel in case they need to reroute on short notice.

Turkish Airlines said on X that flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan will be suspended until Monday and flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman would be suspended on Saturday.

The airline said additional cancellations may be announced.