Numerous airlines cancelled or suspended international flights across the Middle East through the weekend after India’s civil aviation authority classified large parts of the region as a high-security risk zone at all altitudes.
The warning covered airspace over several countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, prompting widespread disruption to international travel, particularly routes linked to Dubai and Tel Aviv.
Air India announced the cancellation of all flights to Middle Eastern destinations. Turkish Airlines suspended services to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan until Monday, while also halting flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
In the United States, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines said flights to Tel Aviv would remain suspended at least through the weekend. The Dutch carrier KLM had earlier confirmed it was suspending flights to and from the Israeli city.
Several European airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, Transavia and Pegasus, cancelled all flights to Lebanon. American Airlines suspended its Philadelphia–Doha route.
Virgin Atlantic said it would avoid flying over Iraqi airspace, resulting in slightly longer flight times for services to and from India, the Maldives and Riyadh. The airline confirmed it was already avoiding Iranian airspace and said all aircraft would carry additional fuel in case of sudden rerouting.
British Airways suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until next week and cancelled services to Amman on Saturday. The airline said passengers booked to travel up to Wednesday could request a full refund.
The flight disruptions followed a series of airspace closures across the region. Iran closed its airspace “until further notice”, according to its Civil Aviation Organisation. Israel also shut its skies to civilian aircraft, transport minister Miri Regev said.
Qatar temporarily closed its airspace, while Iraq announced a complete shutdown, according to state media. The United Arab Emirates said it had partially and temporarily closed its skies.
Syria closed part of its southern airspace near the Israeli border for 12 hours, its civil aviation authority said. Jordan’s military confirmed that its air force was conducting drills to defend the country’s airspace. Kuwait also announced the closure of its skies.
Airlines said they were continuing to monitor the situation closely amid heightened regional tensions and rapidly changing security assessments.
