A series of United States and Israeli strikes on Iran followed by retaliation from Tehran has sparked a surge in regional violence, leading to widespread airspace closures across the Middle East and significant disruption to global travel.
As tensions escalated on Saturday, at least eight countries shut their airspace, including Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Syria also announced a 12-hour closure of part of its southern airspace near the Israeli border.
The shutdowns followed coordinated US and Israeli attacks across Iran, which US President Donald Trump said would dismantle Iran’s missile capabilities and eliminate its navy. Iran, which had been in negotiations with Washington over its nuclear programme until the strikes occurred, vowed a forceful response. Retaliatory actions were soon reported in Israel and in several Gulf Arab states that host US military facilities, including Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain.
“All American and Israeli assets and interests in the Middle East have become a legitimate target,” a senior Iranian official told Al Jazeera. “There are no red lines after this aggression, and everything is possible.”
The fallout quickly spread to international aviation. Airlines around the world began cancelling or rerouting flights that pass through the Middle East, a critical corridor linking Europe and Asia especially as Russian and Ukrainian airspace remains largely unavailable due to the ongoing war.
Russia’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that Russian airlines had suspended flights to Iran and Israel. Air India announced it would temporarily avoid the entire Middle East region.
Several major carriers also halted services to destinations affected by the crisis, including Lufthansa, Air France, Iberia, Wizz Air, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, British Airways, Aegean Airlines, Indigo, Japan Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines.
According to Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Doha, the joint US-Israeli strikes and Iran’s multi-country response have effectively created two overlapping conflicts, heightening instability across the Gulf.
“This could make the whole crisis very intertwined and very complicated in a way that this region has never witnessed,” said Hashem.
The rapidly evolving situation has not only intensified geopolitical tensions but also disrupted global travel and trade routes, underscoring the far-reaching consequences of the escalating conflict.
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