Missile strikes from Iran have forced the world’s busiest international airport to go dark.
Dubai’s airport operator halted flights indefinitely at Dubai International Airport (DXB) the world’s busiest airport for international flights and at Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport on the Gulf city’s outskirts.
The twin closures triggered immediate ripple effects across global aviation, stranding thousands of tourists, transit passengers, and business travellers without warning.
All these passengers got their flights canceled at Dubai airport, emirates has prepared something special for them pic.twitter.com/YCX8vX1AjQ
Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, confirmed it was suspending all operations to and from Dubai, citing “multiple regional airspace closures,” adding:
“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused, and we are assisting them with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements. The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”
Due to flight disruptions, our contact centre is experiencing higher than usual volumes. If your travel is not urgent, please visit https://t.co/yehFUeWZQq for the latest updates on your booking, and call us at a later time. Thank you for your understanding. pic.twitter.com/rXuNwFtmuN
The dramatic escalation began in the early hours of Saturday February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes named Operation Epic Fury by the United States and Operation Lion’s Roar by Israel targeting multiple Iranian cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Qom and Karaj, with the stated aim of dismantling Iran’s military capabilities.
At least eight states declared their airspace closed as the conflict erupted, including Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Syria also announced it had closed part of its airspace along its southern border with Israel for 12 hours.
Iran targeted US military bases across the Gulf peninsula in retaliatory strikes, further compounding the aviation crisis, with the Qatari civil aviation authority confirming airspace over the country had been temporarily closed effectively grounding Qatar Airways, among the world’s biggest international carriers.
Who Has Cancelled What?
The scale of airline suspensions is extraordinary.
United Airlines confirmed that flights en route to Tel Aviv and Dubai on Saturday were either diverted or returned to the United States. The airline cancelled all US–Tel Aviv flights through Monday and US–Dubai flights through Sunday, issuing a travel waiver allowing passengers to change bookings at no cost.
Turkish Airlines announced on X that flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan would be suspended until Monday, and flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman halted on Saturday, warning further cancellations may follow.
Dear Passengers,
Due to the recent situation in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon additional rights have been granted to our passengers.
You can access up-to-date information about your flights on our Flight Status page or make inquiries via TK Assistant on WhatsApp. You… pic.twitter.com/DdgrCOJfkm
Lufthansa Group suspended flights to Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Tehran until March 7, while Air India halted all Middle East flights for Saturday.
Wizz Air halted all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until March 7. Virgin Atlantic cancelled its London Heathrow–Dubai service and paused Iraqi airspace use, warning that flights to India, the Maldives and Riyadh could take longer due to rerouting. British Airways suspended Tel Aviv and Bahrain flights until next week and cancelled all Saturday Amman services.
