Canceled flights to Middle East surpass 23,000 since Iran war began

Since Saturday, of the 36,000 scheduled flights to or from the Middle East, more than half have been canceled

Published: March 5, 2026 3:09pm

The number of canceled flights to the Middle East has surpassed 23,000 since the war with Iran began over the weekend.

Emirates airline flights to Dubai have been suspended through the end of Saturday, a week since the U.S. and Israel launched their strikes against Iran, Bloomberg reported. Qatar Airways extended the suspension of its flights to Friday.

Since Saturday, of the 36,000 scheduled flights to or from the Middle East, more than half have been canceled, according to analytics firm Cirium Ltd. on Wednesday. The 36,000 scheduled flights equate to about 4.4 million seats.

In the Gulf region, thousands of passengers have been stranded, forcing many to take circuitous, expensive routes to reach functioning airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman. The United Arab Emirates' economy ministry said that it is establishing safe air corridors to allow for as many as 48 flights an hour.