Airlines cancel Middle East flights after US airstrikes on Iran

According to Krungthep Turakij, Singapore Airlines, one of Asia’s largest carriers, announced the cancellation of its Singapore–Dubai flight on Sunday, citing a safety assessment following President Donald Trump’s declaration that the US had conducted airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities.

The escalation marks a turning point in the ongoing Israel–Iran conflict, which has intensified over the past week.

The Middle East has become a vital air corridor between Europe and Asia, particularly since the closure of Russian and Ukrainian airspace due to the ongoing conflict. However, data from the flight-tracking platform FlightRadar24 now shows that commercial aircraft are avoiding the airspace over Iran, Iraq, and Israel entirely.

Several major airlines have taken precautionary measures. Air France has cancelled flights to and from both Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday, while British Airways has suspended services to Dubai and Doha as it monitors the situation.

In the United States, American Airlines had already suspended flights to Qatar prior to the strikes, and United Airlines has now also halted flights bound for Dubai.

Safe Airspace, an aviation risk-monitoring organisation, warned that the US strikes on Iran could further endanger American carriers operating in the region amid a growing number of missile and drone attacks. Airlines are also concerned the conflict could drive up oil prices, pushing jet fuel costs higher.

Meanwhile, Israel is ramping up evacuation efforts to assist travellers stranded both domestically and abroad. The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) stated that these rescue flights will increase to 24 per day from Monday, with each flight limited to 50 passengers.

El Al, Israel’s national airline, reported receiving departure requests from approximately 25,000 people per day.