Airlines across the globe are reassessing their operations in the Middle East following U.S. military strikes on Iran, with many carriers suspending flights and redirecting routes as tensions escalate in the region.
Singapore Airlines, a major player in the Asian aviation market, labelled the situation as “fluid” after cancelling flights between Singapore and Dubai on Sunday. The decision followed a security assessment as concerns mounted over the safety of Middle Eastern airspace.
FlightRadar24, a prominent flight-tracking website, showed significant no-fly zones across Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel, leaving swathes of the region's skies empty. The Middle East has become an essential corridor for air travel between Europe and Asia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced airlines to avoid Russian and Ukrainian airspace.
In Europe, Air France-KLM announced it had cancelled services to and from Dubai and Riyadh on both Sunday and Monday. British Airways, part of the IAG group, also grounded flights to Dubai and Doha for Sunday and said it was continuing to monitor the situation before confirming additional cancellations.
In a broader warning, aviation risk-monitoring group Safe Airspace—operated by OPSGROUP—highlighted growing risks to commercial aviation in the region, particularly for American carriers. The organisation flagged the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as a potential trigger for retaliatory action, raising concerns over missile and drone threats in increasingly volatile airspace.
American Airlines and United Airlines preemptively suspended flights to Qatar and Dubai, respectively, even before the strikes took place, citing rising regional instability.
Fuel cost pressures are also looming. Airlines fear a surge in oil prices following the military action, which would further drive up the cost of jet fuel and strain global carrier operations.
Meanwhile, Israel is bolstering efforts to evacuate its citizens, launching a series of "rescue flights" for stranded travellers. The Israeli Airports Authority confirmed that 24 daily rescue flights will operate starting Monday, though each flight will be capped at 50 passengers. National airline El Al reported receiving approximately 25,000 evacuation requests in just one day.
As the situation in the Middle East remains tense and unpredictable, airlines continue to balance safety, operational costs, and the growing urgency of repatriation efforts.