Bombings in the Middle East cause massive flight cancellations and leave passengers stranded

Passenger reports canceled flights from Mumbai international airport Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE / AFP Missile attacks in the Middle East led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports in the region. The bombings attributed to Iran, in response to the American and Israeli offensive last Saturday (28), paralyzed important global aviation hubs and caused chaos in international terminals. At least 2,800 flights were canceled on Sunday alone (28) at various airports around the world. Airspace was closed in strategic countries such as Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. See the image of the air routes being diverted below: Aerial monitoring website shows absence of planes over Iran and Persian Gulf countries on March 1, 2026 Reproduction/FlightRadar24 Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, essential for connections between Europe, Africa and Asia, were directly affected by the attacks. It is estimated that at least 90 thousand people make daily connections at these terminals. Dubai International Airport (DXB), one of the busiest in the world, is among the units affected. Passengers reported moments of panic when they heard explosions and fighter jets flying over the Emirates. Many tourists remain sheltered in hotel rooms, following guidelines to avoid windows due to the risk of shrapnel in the event of an impact. UAE authorities confirmed casualties in the bombed terminals. At Dubai International Airport, four people were injured. Zayed Airport, in Abu Dhabi, recorded one death and seven injuries after a drone attack. Simone Mendes returns from Dubai and is shocked to learn that her hotel has caught fire According to the Associated Press, hundreds of thousands of travelers try to obtain information on congested telephone lines; The confusion is repeated on online portals, and many passengers remain without updates on the reopening of airports. Major airlines, such as Emirates, have suspended all operations in Dubai until next Monday afternoon (2). Air India also interrupted flights to Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with plans to resume only on Tuesday (3). Israeli airline El Al said it was preparing to repatriate Israelis stranded abroad as soon as airspace reopened and had ended ticket sales for flights until March 21. Global impact of the airline crisis See the videos trending on g1 The crisis is already affecting other continents. In Bali, Indonesia, more than 1,600 tourists were stranded after the cancellation of flights to the Middle East. Airports in London, Paris, New Delhi and Bangkok also reported dozens of cancellations. Companies still operating in the region have been forced to divert their routes to the south, flying over Saudi Arabia. This reorientation causes significant delays and considerably increases operational costs. Industry analysts warn that outages are likely to persist for the next few days as attacks continue. It is recommended that passengers check the status of their flights before traveling to the airport.

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