Middle East Airspace Closures Disrupt Global Flights Amid U.S.-Iran Strikes

An escalating military exchange between the United States and Iran has triggered widespread disruptions across the Middle East’s aviation network, as regional airspace closures and heightened security concerns forced airlines to cancel and reroute flights. Iran’s retaliatory missile strike on June 23—targeting the U.S.-operated Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar—sparked an immediate wave of temporary airspace shutdowns across the Gulf region.

Ahead of Iran’s attack, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates preemptively closed their airspace after Tehran issued advance notice of its plans. Qatar Airways was forced to ground operations, while inbound flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi were diverted or delayed. Though services resumed shortly after the brief strike, flights across the region remain in flux. Kuwait and Bahrain also shut down their airspace temporarily in response to the evolving threat.

Iran launched 14 missiles in its June 23 retaliation, directly targeting Al Udeid, a critical hub for U.S. military operations in the Middle East for more than two decades. A NOTAM issued in advance closed the base for eight hours, further contributing to the airspace restrictions in the area.

The disruptions followed U.S. airstrikes on Iranian targets the previous day, intensifying the ongoing conflict tied to broader regional tensions between Israel and Iran. These developments have sparked immediate and far-reaching consequences for global commercial aviation. Airlines worldwide are canceling or rerouting flights, not only to and from conflict zones like Iran, Iraq, Israel and Syria, but also to regional markets in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Emirates has suspended flights to Tehran, Baghdad and Basra through June 30, while Etihad has paused its Abu Dhabi–Tel Aviv route until mid-July. Qatar Airways has halted service to nine destinations in Iran, Iraq and Syria. Flydubai has suspended flights to these same markets, as well as to Israel and Russia’s St. Petersburg, through the end of the month.

European carriers are also scaling back. Lufthansa Group has canceled flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran through July 31, and suspended service to Amman, Beirut and Erbil into July. British Airways has halted Tel Aviv flights through July and canceled trips to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai and Doha between June 22–23. Air France-KLM has suspended flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Beirut into late June, and to Tel Aviv through mid-July. Wizz Air, Ryanair and airBaltic have suspended Tel Aviv and Amman operations and are avoiding overflights of Israeli, Iranian and Syrian airspace.

India’s flag carrier, Air India, has suspended all operations to Europe, the Middle East, and North America’s East Coast as of June 23. Some of its long-haul flights were forced to turn around mid-air. The airline cited external security risks beyond its control and is monitoring the situation closely.

U.S. carriers have also adjusted schedules. American Airlines has suspended service to Doha, while United Airlines has halted flights to Dubai. Both had earlier ceased operations to Tel Aviv, along with Delta Air Lines.

Aviation risk experts say the risk now extends beyond traditional conflict zones. Matthew Borie, chief intelligence officer at Osprey Flight Solutions, notes that carriers are concerned about potential retaliatory missile or drone attacks on U.S. bases in Gulf states such as the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia. These threats are exacerbated by the involvement of Iranian-backed militant groups, including the Houthis in Yemen.

Borie adds that Iranian state media issued prior warnings to the U.S., UK, and France about targeting their military assets if they supported Israel, raising concern for flights over or near their installations.

Complicating matters, GPS jamming and spoofing have become a growing issue, with ground-based systems capable of misleading aircraft navigation systems—posing an added threat to flight safety in the region.

As of June 23, Flightradar24 data confirms commercial aircraft have largely avoided Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli and Syrian airspace, rerouting over the Caspian Sea, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. These detours can add up to two hours to long-haul flights. Meanwhile, Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport briefly reopened on June 22 to allow citizens to return home. Several El Al flights successfully landed from Los Angeles, New York JFK, and Paris on June 23, but regional aviation remains on high alert.

Related News: https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/airline-finance/