The United Arab Emirates—home to major carriers Emirates and Etihad—along with Israel and Qatar have shut their skies, forcing Qatar Airways to temporarily cancel all flights to and from Doha. In response to the closures, planes en route to Israel were rerouted to alternative airports, while passengers at Ben Gurion International Airport were shuttled back from their gates.
Airlines across the globe are adjusting operations: Emirates has warned of delays and cancellations, and Virgin Atlantic has scrapped its London-Dubai service while rerouting other flights to avoid Iraqi airspace, a move expected to lengthen travel times for routes to India, the Maldives, and Riyadh.
Turkish Airlines has suspended flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan until Monday, with further cancellations affecting the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. Additionally, Dutch carrier KLM and several other international airlines had already begun suspending Tel Aviv services earlier in the week in anticipation of the escalation.
