All flight operations at both Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International (DWC) have been suspended until further notice following security developments in the Middle East.
The official X account for DXB confirmed on Saturday that arrivals and departures are halted and passengers should avoid travelling to the airports until operations resume.
The statement read, “Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time and to contact their respective airlines directly for the latest updates regarding their flights. We appreciate the cooperation of our guests. Further updates will be provided as we continue to monitor the situation.”
Read more: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard chief Mohammad Pakpour ‘killed’ in Israel-US strike
When can aeroplanes fly over Dubai airspace?
DXB is the busiest international airport in the world, with an annual passenger volume of almost 90 million. Hundreds of flights connecting Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East have been disrupted by its abrupt closure, shattering the global aviation network.
Authorities at the airport report that within hours of the shutdown, over 280 aircraft were canceled and another 250 were delayed.
Airspace above Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iran is still limited, and airlines are still keeping an eye on security situations. While some airlines will wait until March 7, others want to start limited operations on March 1, according to announcements by airlines.
Emirates has announced via an official X post that due to many regional airspace closures, operations to and from Dubai are temporarily halted. Following the closure of Qatari airspace, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways have also suspended operations.
Turkish Airlines has also suspended services to Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Syria, Qatar and the UAE until at least 2nd March.
Read more: Iran, Israel shut airspace as tensions escalate following Tehran strike
US-Iran conflict
After Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran on Saturday, escalating the region’s military conflict, international airlines canceled flights throughout the Middle East.
Flight maps indicated that the airspace around Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, and Bahrain remained mostly empty as the US military launched several strikes against targets in Iran and Israel reported to have struck Iran.
According to reports, several residential structures in the capital of Bahrain were targeted. Al Jazeera has confirmed that online video footage depicts an Iranian drone hitting a tower in Manama.
A video shared by Bricx News shows the Iranian drone hit a structure close to the 5th Fleet headquarters of the US Navy in Bahrain.