Air companies rushed to cancel flights and divert airplanes on Monday after countries in Eastern Middle temporarily closed the airspace after Iran’s attack to the US military base in the Udeid in Doha, the most recent turbulence for air transport in a normally busy region.
The United States attacked key Iranian nuclear facilities, and Tehran responded Monday with missiles against the American base without killing or hurting anyone.
The tension escalation is beginning to affect the airlines outside the Middle East, where important air routes have already been cut since Israel began attacks against Iran on June 13. On Monday, Air India reported that it would suspend its flights to and from eastern North America and Europe.
After briefly closing his airspace, Baréin and Kuwait reopened, according to state media. Dubai airports said their operations had resumed after a brief suspension, but warned of delays or cancellations in the social network X. Qatar also closed their airspace.
The conflict has already cut important air routes towards usually resistant aviation centers, such as Dubai, with the most active international airport in the world, and Doha, the capital of Qatar. The usually crowded airspace that extends from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean resembles a ghost city, devoid of commercial air traffic due to airspace closures and safety problems.
Air India communicated on Monday that he had interrupted all its operations to the Middle East, as well as flights to the east coast of North America and Europe. This included diverting the flights that were already in the air back to their takeoff place and far from the closed air spaces.
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“It’s scary,” said Miret Padovani, a businesswoman who was trapped at the Hamad International Airport in Doha. He had a reservation on a flight from Qatar Airways to Thailand who had to leave Monday, but canceled his trip and now plans to return home in Dubai early on Tuesday.
“Everything happened very fast. In fact, I learned of people in first class that the missiles were being sent here before they appeared in the news,” he added.
According to the Cirium Aviation Analysis Company, about two dozen flights to Doha, most Qatar Airways, were diverted on Monday, and around a handful of flights to Dubai were diverted due to the closure of airspace.
Suspensions
Kuwait Airways suspended his flight departures from the country on Monday, while Emiratí Etihad Airways diverted flights from Monday and Tuesday.
The Spanish airline Iberia, belonging to IAG, discarded the plan that had planned to resume its flights to Doha on Tuesday after the latest airspace closures.
With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East has become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia.
In the midst of air attacks and missiles of the last 10 days, airlines have taken routes north through the Caspian Sea or south through Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
It is likely that the airlines have avoided Doha, Dubai and other airports in the region for fear that Iran or their allies can attack with unmanned planes or missiles the US military bases in these countries, according to the Aviation Risk Consultant Osprey Flight Solutions.
First thing, the airlines had been weighing how long to suspend flights. Finnair was the first to announce a long suspension of flights to Doha, with cancellations until June 30.
The main Asian airline, Singapore Airlines, which described the situation as “fluid”, canceled his flights to Dubai on Tuesday, after having previously canceled only Sunday’s service.
Air France Klm, Iberia and British Airways, owned by IAG, and the Kazaja Air Astana canceled their flights to Doha or Dubai both Sunday and Monday.
Air France also canceled his flights to Riad and announced that he would suspend flights from and to Beirut to Wednesday.
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