Air traffic in the Middle East region is witnessing a state of chaos and confusion, after major airlines suspended their flights to and from the region, in light of the escalating tension between Iran, Israel, and the United States, in addition to the closure of large parts of the airspace.
In an unprecedented step, the Israeli company “El Al” removed all of its aircraft from Israel, coinciding with the decision to close Israeli airspace to civil aviation traffic.
Etihad Airways also announced the suspension of all its flights to and from Abu Dhabi until 2:00 am local time on Monday, March 2, and explained that the closure of regional airspace continues to negatively affect its operations.
The Russian company Aeroflot confirmed the cancellation of its flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi on March 1, noting that it had provided hotel accommodation for 790 passengers, with the option of rebooking flights or fully refunding the value of tickets.
The wave of cancellations extended to include many other companies, including: Emirates Airlines, Flydubai, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia, Qatar Airways, Oman Air, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, United Airlines, and Aeroflot.
According to information issued by the Russian Association of Tourism Operators, the total number of canceled flights so far has reached 700, with expectations that this number will increase, while observers believe that Iranian airspace will remain closed until March 3. (Russia Today)
