Airlines have cancelled hundreds of Middle East flights across the world, while dozens of others have diverted mid-flight due to closed airspace over a large swath of the region following the U.S. and Israel’s military strikes in Iran.
The travel chaos has spread far and wide, with some services paused until at least the end of next week.
Airspace closures also forced carriers to scrub flights that would normally transit the region.
More than 1,800 flights in and out of the Middle East were cancelled on Saturday, according to aviation data firm Cirium and another 1,400 were cancelled for Sunday.
Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights due to the Qatar Airways closure.
In its most recent update, the airline said, “Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace”, and plans to give frequent updates.
According to Flightradar24, the airspace over Iran. Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar have all been closed.
Hundreds of thousands of travellers have also been left stranded in the Middle East due to the flight cancellations.
Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, said Australians should brace for travel disruptions, noting even flights that aren’t travelling in or through the Middle East might be impacted.
“There are flight delays and cancellations, both in the region and globally – including on routes to Europe,” she said.
“Scheduled flights can change at short notice.”
At least 1,200 flights have been cancelled out of Dubai International Airport earlier today, which is a major travel hub for Australians flying to Europe.
