Air travel across the Middle East faced major disruptions on Monday as airlines diverted dozens of flights following a missile strike by Iran targeting a U.S. military base in Qatar.
Qatar said it intercepted the missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base. Qatar added that there were no incidents or casualties from the missile attack.
The strike marked an escalation in the ongoing regional conflict, prompting swift responses from aviation authorities and carriers.
Flight diversions and airspace closures
According to aviation data provider Cirium, over 20 commercial aircraft en route to Doha, Qatar, were diverted, while another four flights bound for Dubai turned back.
Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported that airspace over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was temporarily closed. Bahrain also shut its airspace for a period, Reuters reported.
Qatar suspended flights over its airspace late Monday, shortly before the Iranian missile strike occurred around 7:45 p.m. local time.
The move effectively halted Qatar Airways’ operations and forced dozens of flights operated by other regional carriers—including Etihad, Emirates, and FlyDubai—out of position.
Similar airspace restrictions were implemented by Bahrain and Kuwait.
Airlines cancel and delay services
British Airways announced it would cancel flights to Doha through Wednesday in response to the situation, stating, “Safety is always our highest priority.”
The airline said it is contacting affected customers and will continue monitoring developments.
Earlier in the day, international carriers such as Air France, Iberia, and Finnair had already delayed or suspended plans to resume service to certain destinations in the region.
Turkish Airlines also halted flights to Gulf cities, including Dubai.
Flights in and out of Dubai International Airport—the world’s busiest for international traffic—were temporarily suspended.
According to Bloomberg, an internal memo from Emirates noted the unavailability of westbound routing.
Despite the UAE’s airspace closure, flights began arriving and departing again after more than ten aircraft were diverted during the interruption, Flightradar24 said on X.
Global impact on air traffic
Several flights heading to Gulf destinations from cities such as London and Zurich were rerouted to alternative airports in Cairo, India, and Belgium.
The diversions represent the most significant disruption to regional air traffic since tensions escalated.
Qatar Airways, which operates a global network from its Doha hub to over 170 destinations, was heavily affected.
Other global carriers, including Singapore Airlines, British Airways, and American Airlines, have suspended various services to the region.
United Airlines had earlier paused its flights to Dubai. U.S. airlines had already suspended service to Israel following that country’s earlier strike on Iran.
Wider aviation challenges
The Middle East conflict adds further pressure on global aviation, which has already been navigating challenges related to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
As with the European conflict, the current situation is forcing airlines to take longer, costlier routes that require additional fuel.
Service suspensions continue to occur as risks escalate across affected regions.
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