Quick summary
Over 11,000 flights have been canceled across the Middle East since February 28 following US-Israel strikes on Iran, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha airports operating at minimal capacity. Emirates has extended its suspension through March 7, Etihad through March 6, and Qatar Airways has grounded its entire network—severing critical Asia-Pacific routing for US, European, and Australian travelers who rely on these hubs for connections.
Passengers with bookings to or through the region face 20+ hour diversions via European or African hubs. This article covers which airlines remain suspended, how to secure refunds or rebookings, and what alternative routing options exist for Asia-Pacific travel.
The world’s busiest international airport went dark on February 28. Dubai International, which handles more international passengers than any other facility on Earth, shut down alongside Abu Dhabi and Doha as airspace closures rippled across the Middle East. Emirates canceled 500 flights. Qatar Airways grounded 423. Etihad suspended 193. The numbers kept climbing.
For travelers booked on Asia-Pacific routes through these hubs, the math is brutal. A 14-hour nonstop Dubai-Singapore connection now requires 22 hours via Frankfurt. A Sydney-London flight through Doha becomes a 28-hour ordeal through Cairo. Malta evacuated 187 citizens from the UAE on March 4. Commercial passengers face the same calculation: get out now or wait indefinitely.
The disruption affects anyone flying between North America, Europe, Australia and Asia-Pacific who routed through Gulf hubs. That’s roughly 40% of long-haul Asia traffic from Western markets. If your ticket shows DXB, AUH, or DOH as a connection point between now and mid-March, you need to act today.
Which airlines remain grounded and until when
Emirates extended its suspension through 11:59 PM GST on Saturday, March 7, though the carrier is operating approximately 100 repatriation flights on March 5-6 prioritizing passengers stranded since the February 28 shutdown. All scheduled commercial service from Dubai remains offline.
Etihad Airways suspended Abu Dhabi operations until 6:00 AM UAE time Friday, March 6, stating “no safe commercial corridors exist for full network restart.” The airline is operating only repositioning and cargo flights under UAE civil aviation authority approval. Call volumes are “extremely high”—online rebooking tools are your only realistic option.
Qatar Airways canceled its entire network with no confirmed restart date. Doha International Airport remains severely restricted, with the airline awaiting Qatari airspace reopening before resuming operations.
Air France canceled all flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai, and Riyadh through March 5. KLM suspended Dubai, Riyadh, and Dammam flights until March 9 and Tel Aviv flights for the remainder of the winter season. Both carriers are routing Asia-Pacific passengers through Paris and Amsterdam with 6-10 hour connection delays.
Limited resumption began March 5 when IndiGo restarted flights to Athens, Muscat, Jeddah, Madinah, and selected UAE repatriation services. SpiceJet and Air India Express are operating special evacuation flights, but commercial schedules remain suspended.
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Why this matters for Asia-Pacific travel
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha function as the primary bridges between Western markets and Asia. When all three go offline simultaneously, there is no quick workaround. European hubs like Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam can absorb some traffic, but they add 6-12 hours to total journey time and create bottleneck delays across their networks.
African gateways—Cairo, Addis Ababa, Nairobi—offer alternative routing but lack the frequency and capacity of Gulf hubs. A typical Sydney-London passenger routed through Doha faces a 14-hour first leg and 7-hour second leg with a 2-hour connection. The same journey through Cairo becomes 11 hours to Cairo, 8-hour layover (no shorter connections available), then 5 hours to London. Total elapsed time jumps from 23 hours to 32 hours.
This represents the most severe Middle East aviation disruption since the 2003 Iraq War. The difference: in 2003, Dubai and Doha were regional players. In 2026, they’re global chokepoints. Their simultaneous closure doesn’t just inconvenience passengers—it severs the fastest physical path between continents for millions of travelers who’ve built itineraries around Gulf hub efficiency, similar to how Russian airspace closures reshaped Asia routing for European and North American carriers.
What to do if you have a booking
- Rebook immediately through airline portals—phone lines are overwhelmed. Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways offer free rebooking to alternative dates through March 31 for tickets issued on or before February 28. Request routing via Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Cairo, or Addis Ababa to reach Asia-Pacific destinations.
- Request full refunds using online forms—Etihad’s Global Refund Form processes faster than phone support. Passengers with tickets issued on or before February 28 qualify for full refunds under airline policies. EU261 compensation does not apply as this qualifies as extraordinary circumstances beyond airline control.
- Monitor alternative routing options—if your original itinerary is unrecoverable, European and African hubs remain operational but expect 20-30% longer total journey times and potential multi-day delays during peak rebooking periods.
- Check travel insurance coverage—most policies exclude war and civil unrest, but some cover “trip interruption” if you’re already mid-journey when disruption occurs. File claims immediately with documentation of canceled flights and rebooking costs.
The Dubai hub advantage—and what happens when it vanishes
Dubai International Airport handled 87 million passengers in 2024, more than any other airport for international traffic. Its geographic position allows 8-hour flights to reach 4 billion people—roughly half the global population. When it goes offline, there is no single replacement. Traffic scatters across a dozen secondary hubs, each adding hours and connections.
For Australian travelers, the impact is particularly severe. A Melbourne-London flight through Dubai takes 22 hours total. The same journey through Singapore and Frankfurt takes 31 hours with two connections instead of one. Gulf hubs didn’t just offer convenience—they offered physics: the shortest great-circle routes between Southern Hemisphere origins and European destinations.
Questions? Answers.
Can I get compensation under EU261 for canceled Middle East flights?
No. EU261 compensation does not apply when cancellations result from extraordinary circumstances beyond airline control, which includes military conflict and airspace closures. You are entitled to rebooking or refund, but not the €250-600 cash compensation that applies to routine cancellations.
What if my airline won’t offer a refund, only rebooking?
Airlines must offer refunds when they cancel flights, regardless of ticket type. If online tools only show rebooking options, escalate through official complaint channels or your credit card issuer. Document all communication. For tickets issued on or before February 28, Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways have explicitly confirmed full refund eligibility.
Are there any Gulf hub alternatives still operating?
Kuwait International Airport (KWI) and Muscat International Airport (MCT) remain partially operational with reduced schedules, but neither offers the network breadth of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Doha. Most rebooking traffic is flowing to European hubs (Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam) or African gateways (Cairo, Addis Ababa) despite significantly longer journey times.
How long will these suspensions last?
Airlines are announcing extensions in 24-48 hour increments as the security situation evolves. Emirates’ current suspension runs through March 7, Etihad through March 6, but both have extended deadlines multiple times since February 28. Do not assume service will resume on published dates—monitor airline notifications daily and have backup routing ready.
