Passengers stranded by the closure of Dubai International Airport wait in the airport parking lot there.Image: keystone
The escalation in the Middle East is not only affecting air traffic there. Passengers around the world are stranded and planes and crews are in the wrong locations.
March 1, 2026, 10:32 p.mMarch 1, 2026, 10:32 p.m
Steve Haak / t-online
Because of the military escalation in the Middle East Air traffic largely comes to a standstill in large parts of the region. Numerous airspaces were closed for safety reasons, thousands of travelers were stranded or had to be rerouted. According to the Flightradar24 platform, more than 3,400 flights were canceled at seven major airports – including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
The United Arab Emirates aviation authority announced a “temporary and partial” closure of airspace. In Dubai, all flights at DXB International Airport and Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) have been suspended until further notice.
Air traffic is also severely restricted in other parts of the region. Tel Aviv Airport is expected to remain closed until Monday. The airspace in Qatar, Kuwait and parts of Syria is also closed. Several international airlines, including Lufthansa, British Airways and Turkish Airlines, suspended flights to the region or changed their routes.
Lines of stranded travelers
The closures caused chaos around the world, with thousands of passengers stranded in Asia and Europe. Because the Gulf hubs consolidate long-haul traffic between Europe and Asia, aircraft and crews are now in the wrong locations, disrupting flight schedules worldwide. According to British aviation analyst John Strickland, it is “the sheer number of people and the complexity” that is driving the problem.
Not only the customers are affected, but also the crews and aircraft scattered everywhere. Long queues of stranded travelers formed at airports in Bali, Dhaka and Kathmandu.
Airlines in Europe, Asia and the Middle East canceled or rerouted flights to avoid the closed airspace. This increases travel times and increases fuel costs. The situation is made worse by the fact that Russian and Ukrainian airspace is already being avoided.
Cruise ships also affected
In addition to air traffic, shipping traffic in the Gulf region also came to a standstill. Cruise ships docked in the ports of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are currently particularly affected. There are several thousand holiday guests on board.
The FDFA is expanding its travel warnings for the Middle East. It also now advises against tourist and non-urgent trips to Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) announced this on Sunday on X. The new warnings come after the escalation of the situation following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday night.
A request to leave the country has also been issued for Lebanon, and a travel warning with a request to leave has been in effect for Iran since autumn 2022. The respective German missions abroad are in contact with German nationals on site, it said. (fwa)