• Source:JND

As the Middle East grapples with tensions amid the US-Iran-Israel conflict, the airspaces are facing massive disruptions in operations. The global disruption has forced major airlines to suspend and cancel flights travelling to major aviation hubs in West Asia. Airports in Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh have been facing significant disruptions in the operations.

Authorities in Dubai airport have confirmed that regular flight operations have resumed after the shutdown. However, at the same time, it has warned the passengers to leave for the airport only when their bookings are confirmed, as the situation still remains volatile. Meanwhile Doha's Hamad International Airport continued to face disruptions.

Amid the massive airline disruption thoroughout the Middle East, lets go through the airlines which have officially cancelled or suspended and resumed flights to major Middle East destinations.

IndiGo and Air India

Indian airlines like Air India and IndiGo, the disruption is compounded by Pakistan’s decision to close its airspace to Indian-registered aircraft. This closure forces Indian carriers to take longer, circuitous routes to Europe and North America, adding hundreds of kilometres and up to four or five hours of additional flying time to journeys.

IndiGo on Wednesday announced that it is gradually resuming flights across the Middle East while continuing close coordination with relevant authorities to ensure safe travel for its customers.

 

Air India has been forced to incorporate technical stops in cities such as Rome or Egypt for refuelling on routes to the United States. Nuvama Research noted that these airspace restrictions put Indian airlines at a “strategic disadvantage,” forcing them to either accept lower margins or lose passengers to foreign rivals.

Qatar Airways said it is operating a limited schedule after the temporary closure of Qatari airspace disrupted flights.


Etihad Airways released an updated flight schedule from Abu Dhabi for March 12. The departures include destinations such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, London, New York and Paris. Details can be found at 

Airlines across the region said the situation remains fluid and urged travellers to rely only on official airline channels for updates and avoid suspicious links or messages related to flight changes.

 

British Airways have made several cancellations across the Middle East. It said that all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv stood cancelled until February. Flights between United Kingdom and Abu Dhabi will not be resumed, until further updates.

European and Southeast Asian airlines are seizing the opportunity to establish direct flights between key cities in both regions. Airlines such as Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Air India are capitalising on the situation by enhancing connectivity between Europe and Southeast Asian destinations.

Lufthansa announced plans to launch five weekly flights between Frankfurt and Kuala Lumpur starting October 2026, marking the first direct service to Malaysia from any Lufthansa Group home market.

Cathay Pacific expanded its European network to 11 destinations with new routes to Munich and Brussels, increasing weekly flights from 78 to 93. Similarly, China Eastern Airlines opened a Xi’an-Vienna connection in April and now operates to 12 European airports nonstop from Shanghai, controlling roughly 83 per cent of Europe-China capacity.

Western airlines such as Lufthansa and United remain unaffected by the Pakistan closure because that airspace remains open to them. This access allows European carriers to fly shorter, more fuel-efficient routes between Europe and Southeast Asian cities.

Chinese carriers have gained an additional advantage by retaining access to Russian airspace, which European airlines lost after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Flights from Europe to Asia via Russian routes are two to four hours shorter than alternatives, cutting fuel costs and travel time.


Also In News