Dozens of UK flights were canceled today due to the ongoing conflict in Iran, leading many airlines to operate restricted schedules in the Middle East. Approximately 21,915 out of 38,193 scheduled flights since February 28 have been canceled. Dubai International Airport briefly halted operations on Wednesday morning following a nearby drone strike that injured four individuals, but flights have since resumed.
Emirates and Etihad are currently operating limited schedules from Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, respectively. Qatar Airways is assisting affected passengers and working to reunite them with their families as Qatari airspace remains closed. Operations will resume once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirms the safe reopening of the airspace.
British Airways has announced the suspension of flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv until later this month, with services to and from Abu Dhabi canceled until later this year, resulting in the cancellation of numerous flights in the upcoming months. Flight data from analytics firm Cirium indicates that 55 scheduled services for today have been canceled, accounting for 2.49% of total flights between the UK and the Middle East.
Travelers planning to fly to or from the Middle East in the near future are advised to check their airline’s website for updates and consult the Foreign Office website for the latest travel advice.