Latest Updates
March 2, 2026
- Iran launched 541 drones at the UAE; 506 intercepted, 35 struck targets, killing 3 and injuring 58
- Dubai International Airport concourse damaged; 4 workers injured. Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International struck; 1 killed, 7 injured
- All three major Gulf hubs – Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi – shut down simultaneously for the first time in history
- Iranian airspace closure extended until at least 0830 GMT on March 3 via new pilot bulletin
- Over 2,800 flights cancelled in a single day across the Middle East
- UAE government confirms it will cover accommodation costs for all stranded passengers in the country (~20,000 people)
- Australia upgrades UAE to “Do Not Travel” – its highest advisory level
- US State Department issues worldwide caution for all American citizens globally
- El Al closes all new ticket sales through March 21, prioritizing rebooking of existing passengers
- Burj Al Arab and Fairmont Palm Hotel on Palm Jumeirah reported struck by missile attacks
March 1, 2026
- US and Israel confirm strikes killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
- President Trump confirms “major combat operation”; says it could last “4 weeks or less”
- Iran closes airspace “until further notice”; Iraq, Israel, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Syria (partial) follow
- Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad suspend all operations
- United Airlines suspends Tel Aviv flights; Dubai service halted through March 4
- Air India cancels all flights to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar; suspends London, New York, and Paris routes
- UK directs nationals in Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait to immediately shelter in place
- Multiple US embassies across the Middle East issue shelter-in-place advisories
- Over 400 flights cancelled out of India; approximately 80,000 passengers affected in a single day
What is Happening
What has been described by many as a historic escalation in the Middle East, some calling it the beginning of World War 3 has triggered the biggest disruption to global aviation since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hundreds of thousands of travelers are stranded, airspace across an entire region is sealed, and the effects are rippling across every continent.
Following the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli strikes, the Middle East has entered a period of acute military escalation. The United States confirmed what President Donald Trump described as a “major combat operation” on Saturday morning. Since then, Iran has launched a large-scale retaliatory campaign, targeting civilian and military infrastructure across the Gulf region.
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait have been hit by drone and missile attacks targeting civilian sites, including Dubai International Airport, Zayed International Airport, the Fairmont Palm Hotel, and the Burj Al Arab.
The Aviation Collapse: What’s Closed and What’s Cancelled
The conflict has triggered the most significant global aviation disruption in recent years, a shutdown that analysts are calling unprecedented in both scale and speed.
Airspace closures as of March 2, 2026:
Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria (partial), Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan have all closed or severely restricted their airspace. These closures effectively block the primary east-west flight corridor connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas to Asia, a corridor that handles hundreds of thousands of passengers every single day.
The three major Gulf airline hubs, Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, have shut down simultaneously for the first time in history. Together, Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad move approximately 90,000 passengers through these hubs on a typical day. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest international airport and ranked 15th among global megahubs by OAG, operates over 46,000 connections to 280 destinations. Its closure alone has triggered cascading cancellations across virtually every major airline network in the world.
A new pilot bulletin has extended Iranian airspace closure until at least 0830 GMT on March 3, though airline sources say there is no certainty about how long the disruption will continue. US President Donald Trump has indicated the operation could last “4 weeks or less.”
Henry Harteveldt, airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, offered a frank assessment:
“For travelers, there’s no way to sugarcoat this. You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end.”
On a single day, over 2,800 flights were cancelled across the region. In total, preliminary Cirium data shows approximately 24% of all Middle East flights cancelled — with about half of all flights to Israel and Qatar cancelled, and about 28% of Kuwait-bound flights cancelled.
Airlines that have cancelled or suspended flights (as of March 2):
| Airline | Affected routes / Actions | Suspension Period / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emirates | All Dubai operations | Until at least March 2 (Monday) afternoon |
| Qatar Airways | All flights | Update expected March 2 (Monday) |
| Etihad | All flights | Until 2pm UAE time, March 1 |
| Lufthansa | Regional flights | Extended by 1 week, until approx. March 9 |
| Air India | UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Qatar; London, New York, Paris | Until March 3 (Tuesday) |
| Turkish Airlines | Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Oman | Suspended – no end date confirmed |
| Delta Air Lines | Tel Aviv | Suspended – no end date confirmed |
| United Airlines | Tel Aviv; Dubai | Tel Aviv until March 6; Dubai until March 4 |
| KLM | Dubai Dammam, Riyadh | Until March 5 (Thursday) |
| British Airways | Tel Aviv, Bahrain, Amman | Until March 4; refunds for bookings until March 5 (Wenesday) |
| Wizz Air | Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman | Until March 8 (Sunday) |
| Pegasus Airlines | Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon | All flights cancelled – no end date confirmed |
| American Airlines | Philadelphie-Doha | Suspended – no end date confirmed |
| Virgin Atlantic | Rerouting around Iraqi airspace | Ongoing – flights to India, Maldives, Riyadh |
| Air France / Transavia | Lebanon | All flights cancelled – no end date confirmed |
| LOT | Tel Aviv | Suspended until March 15 |
| FlyDubai | Dubai operations | Until 3pm local times, March 2 (Monday) |
| Air Canada | Dubai, Israel | Dubai until March 3 (Tuesday) Israel until March 8 (Sunday) |
| Air Astana | All Middle East flights | Until end of March 3 (Tuesday) |
| Aegean Airlines | Tel Aviv; Beirut, Erbil | Until March 2 (Monday) |
| El Al | All ticket sales | Closed through March 21; rebooking priortized |
For reference: Dubai Airports official operations update | American Airlines travel alert
Who is Stranded and Where
Tens of thousands of travelers are currently stranded across the region and far beyond it. Long queues have been reported at airports in Bali, Dhaka, Kathmandu, and Frankfurt, as passengers scramble to rebook or simply wait for information.
In Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport alone, over 1,600 tourists are stranded, caused by just five cancelled or postponed Middle East flights. It illustrates how deeply dependent Southeast Asian travel routes are on Gulf transit hubs. The UAE government has announced it will bear the cost of accommodating all stranded passengers in the country. Approximately 20,000 people are currently stranded in the UAE, with thousands more elsewhere across the region.
Airlines are scrambling to reposition aircraft and crew, both of which are now scattered across the world. UK aviation analyst John Strickland captured the scale of the operational challenge:
“It’s the sheer volume of people and the complexity. It is not only customers, it is the crews and aircraft all over the place.”
Key Embassy Contacts in Affected Areas
| Country | Main Airport | Key Foreign-Embassy Emergency Contacts (Examples) | What To Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Israel | Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion) | U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv: +972-3-519-7575 | Call your embassy’s emergency/after-hours line. Enroll in citizen-registration systems (e.g., STEP for Americans). |
| Iran | Tehran, other major cities | No U.S. embassy in Iran. U.S. State Dept. global line: +1-202-501-4444 | Use your foreign ministry’s crisis line. Register as a citizen abroad. Follow evacuation or relocation guidance. |
| United Arab Emirates (UAE) | Dubai, Abu Dhabi | U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi: +971-2-414-2200 U.S./Canada global line: 1-888-407-4747 | Contact your embassy for shelter or relocation advice. |
| Qatar | Doha (Hamad International Airport) | U.S. Embassy Doha: +974-4496-6000 | Ask about safe areas, assembly points, and evacuation options. |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam | U.S. Embassy Riyadh: +966-11-835-4000 | Get security guidance (stay put vs. move). Check airport/corridor closures. |
International airlines – support numbers, contact and what to do
These are major international carriers heavily impacted on Middle East routes right now.
Emirates
- Phone: +1‑800‑777‑3999 (reservations/customer service).
- Contact: “Manage booking” on emirates.com, then “Help and Contact” for your country number and chat options.
- What to do: Pull up your booking and look for disruption options (free date change/refund); if stuck, call and mention “Middle East airspace closure / conflict waiver.”
Qatar Airways
- Phone (global hub): +974‑4144‑5555 (customer support; local numbers vary by country).
- Contact: qatarairways.com → “Help” → call center / live chat / contact form.
- What to do: Use “Manage booking” to change dates or request refunds under current Doha/Middle East disruption waiver, then call if online tools fail or if you need rerouting via a different hub.
Etihad Airways
- Phone: +1‑877‑690‑0767 (Etihad U.S. call center – listed in global directories).
- Contact: etihad.com → “Help” / “Contact us” to choose your location and see numbers, WhatsApp, and email/webform.
- What to do: Check if your Abu Dhabi flight is cancelled; if yes, request free rebooking or refund per their travel alert, and avoid going to the airport without a reissued ticket.
Turkish Airlines
- Phone: 1‑800‑874‑8875.
- Contact: turkishairlines.com → “Get in touch” for phone, WhatsApp, and feedback forms.
- What to do: If your routing touches Tel Aviv, Beirut, Erbil, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon or Gulf points under suspension, request rerouting via unaffected hubs or a full refund under their conflict‑related waiver.
Lufthansa (Lufthansa Group)
- Phone (U.S. reservations): 1‑866‑953‑2294.
- Contact: lufthansa.com → “Support & Contact,” or via the app.
- What to do: For flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Oman, Dubai or other suspended destinations, use “My bookings” to move dates or cancel; if you need a complex re‑route (e.g., via Europe instead of the Gulf), call and reference the Middle East conflict waiver.
British Airways
- Phone (U.S.): typically +1‑800‑247‑9297 (as listed in airline‑phone directories).
- Contact: ba.com → “Manage My Booking” and “Help and contacts.”
- What to do: For cancelled Tel Aviv/Bahrain/Dubai flights, claim rebooking or refund under the BA travel alert; avoid self‑booking new tickets until BA confirms your options.
Travel Advisories: What Governments are Saying
The tone of government travel advisories has shifted sharply, from caution to active directives.
- Leave Iran Immediately: Poland, Serbia, Brazil, Sweden, Cyprus, Finland, Netherlands, India, and Canada have urged their citizens to leave Iran while commercial flights remain available. Sweden warned evacuation support may be limited.
- Shelter in Place (Gulf States): The United Kingdom has instructed nationals in Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait to remain indoors. Multiple United States embassies in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE issued similar guidance. Israel is urging citizens abroad to increase precautions worldwide.
- Do Not Travel: Australia raised the UAE to its highest travel warning level.
- Broad Regional Warning; Germany issued travel warnings for Israel, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
- Other Advisories; Turkey advised citizens in Iran to prepare possible overland departures. Azerbaijan increased military readiness citing unpredictable developments along its Iran border.
Ripple Effects Beyond the Region
The disruption extends far beyond the Middle East. Before the Russia-Ukraine war, airlines could fly over Russian and Ukrainian airspace. Those routes were closed, and carriers shifted to Iranian and Iraqi overflight routes as alternatives. With both of those now sealed, flights are being squeezed into a narrower corridor south over Saudi Arabia — increasing fuel burn, lengthening travel times, and raising costs.
Ian Petchenik of Flightradar24 flagged an additional pressure point:
“The risk of protracted disruption is the main concern from a commercial aviation perspective. Any escalation in the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan that results in the closure of airspace would have drastic consequences for travel between Europe and Asia.”
Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad has warned that passengers transiting well outside the Middle East may still face delays and cancellations. The Gulf is also a primary air cargo corridor, and supply chains well beyond aviation are beginning to feel the pressure.
How the Iran-US-Israel War Is Affecting Corporate Travel and Business Trips
For companies with employees traveling to or through the Middle East, the impact is immediate, significant, and will not end when airspace reopens.
- Trips in progress are the most urgent concern. Employees currently in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, or elsewhere in the Gulf face an indefinite situation, hotels are overbooked, airline hotlines are overwhelmed, and rebooking options are scarce. If your company uses a corporate travel management platform, now is the time to use it, knowing where your travelers are in real time is not optional in a situation like this.
- Planned travel is effectively on hold. Any business trip routed through a Gulf hub, which includes a significant portion of flights from India, Southeast Asia, and East Africa to Europe and North America, faces cancellation, delay, or major rerouting. Travel managers should immediately audit upcoming itineraries and flag those with layovers in Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, or any of the closed airspace zones.
- Cost exposure is real. Airlines are offering waivers, free rebooking, and in some cases full refunds, but policies vary by carrier and booking date. Most standard travel insurance policies explicitly exclude acts of war, military action, and government-imposed airspace closures. Finance and travel teams should begin documenting all additional expenditures immediately. A platform with built-in expense tracking will make this significantly easier.
- The ripple effect on schedules is global. Meetings, conferences, client visits, and project timelines that depend on air travel through the Middle East, even for passengers not traveling to the region, are at risk. Alternative routes exist but are longer, costlier, and currently under pressure.
- Supply chain and procurement travel is also affected. For companies in manufacturing, construction, energy, and logistics that rely on Gulf-based operations, travel disruption compounds an already volatile trade environment
- Scenario planning is now necessary. Travel programs without a crisis protocol should build one immediately, audit active traveler locations, identify alternative routing, confirm refund and rebooking policies for each carrier in use, and establish clear communication lines with employees in affected regions.
Practical Guidance for Stranded Travelers
- Check your flight status before heading to the airport: Airlines and airport authorities are uniformly advising passengers to confirm online first, in areas under active security advisories, unnecessary movement carries real risk.
- Do not cancel your own ticket: If the airline cancels your flight, you retain full rights to a refund or free rebooking; canceling yourself first may forfeit those rights entirely.
- Keep your contact details current in your booking: Airlines can reach you directly with cancellation notices, rebooking windows, and refund options.
- Contact your embassy or consulate: For emergency helplines, repatriation assistance, and the most reliable up-to-date guidance on safe movement in the region.
- Use official sources only: Rely on your airline’s official app, your government’s travel advisory page, and verified airport authority communications, misinformation spreads quickly in fast-moving crises.
What This Means for American Travelers – Domestically and Internationally
The consequences of this conflict are not limited to travelers with tickets to the Middle East. Americans flying internationally and even domestically are beginning to feel the effects.
For International Travelers from the U.S.
Any itinerary connecting through Dubai, Doha, or Abu Dhabi is effectively canceled or facing major delays, affecting common routes to South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa.
U.S. carriers have already acted:
- United Airlines: Tel Aviv suspended through March 6; Dubai through March 4
- Delta Air Lines: Tel Aviv suspended
- American Airlines: Philadelphia–Doha suspended
If you have international travel planned in the coming weeks, contact your airline now to review rerouting options.
For Domestic U.S. Travelers
Disruptions are indirect but likely. As aircraft and crews are repositioned globally, strain can ripple into domestic schedules. Rising jet fuel costs, tied to uncertainty around Middle Eastern oil flows and the Strait of Hormuz, historically push ticket prices higher across all routes, including within the U.S.
Monitor schedules and fares closely and expect some operational adjustments as airlines stabilize networks.
What the US Government Is Telling Americans
The US government’s response has been unusually broad.
- The US State Department has issued a worldwide caution for all American citizens globally, not just those in the Middle East.
- Americans are advised to exercise increased caution and follow alerts from their nearest US embassy or consulate.
- Multiple US embassies across the Middle East including in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are advising Americans to shelter in place.
- Americans are urged to enroll in STEP (step.state.gov) for real-time location-specific alerts, and to keep the 24/7 emergency line of their nearest US embassy on hand.
- The US Department of Transportation reminds travelers that airlines are legally required to provide full refunds for cancelled flights where the passenger chooses not to travel.
Traveling with ITILITE? We Are Here for You
If you are currently on a business trip managed through ITILITE and find yourself stranded, facing cancellations, or needing to reroute urgently, our support team is available to help.
Reach our travel support team directly within the ITILITE platform. We offer a 30-second human response guarantee, because in a crisis, you should not be waiting on hold or navigating a chatbot.
Our team can assist with:
- Rebooking on available alternative flights and routes
- Identifying and booking emergency accommodations
- Coordinating with your corporate travel policy on out-of-policy approvals where necessary
- Keeping your travel manager and finance team informed of disruptions and costs in real time
If you are in an area where you have been advised to shelter in place, please prioritize your safety. Contact ITILITE when it is safe to do so, and we will work to get you home.
We Will Keep Updating This Page
The situation is developing rapidly. We are monitoring it closely and will update this blog daily as new information becomes available, including changes to airspace status, airline policies, government advisories, and practical travel guidance.
Bookmark this page and check back for the latest.
Last updated: March 2, 2026
