Middle East Turmoil Forces Airlines to Slash Flight Schedules Amid Escalating Conflict

Global air traffic is taking a big hit as hostilities in the Middle East intensify, prompting airlines worldwide to slash flights to key regional airports. Massive hubs including Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi have seen major airspace closures, forcing carriers to cancel or suspend operations for weeks or even months.

Aegean Airlines has taken a hard line, axing services to Tel Aviv, Beirut, and Amman until late April, while flights to Erbil, Baghdad, Dubai, and Riyadh face cancellations into May. airBaltic isn't far behind, cutting flights to Tel Aviv until late April and suspending travel to Dubai through October.

Across the Atlantic, Air Canada has halted all flights to Tel Aviv until early May and paused travel to Dubai through late March. Spanish Air Europa is grounded on Tel Aviv routes until April 10, while Air France KLM extended cancellations on Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai, and Riyadh through late March or early April, with KLM further suspending Riyadh, Dammam, Dubai, and Tel Aviv flights until mid-May and April respectively.

Cathay Pacific has called off all Dubai and Riyadh passenger flights until the end of May, simultaneously ramping up capacity to Europe with added runs to Paris, Zurich, and London. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines is sidelining flights between New York and Tel Aviv until early June and delaying the revival of Atlanta-Tel Aviv routes until August.

El Al Israel Airlines is tightly throttling operations, capping outbound flights at 15 per day and limiting passengers to 50 per trip. UAE-based Emirates and Etihad have trimmed their schedules considerably, with partial airport openings dictating a reduced number of routes.

European carrier Lufthansa Group is suspending flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv until the end of May, extending Dubai area suspensions through late October for several destinations. Budget airline Eurowings is grounding flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Erbil until April's end and Dubai, Abu Dhabi projects through October.

Asian and Middle Eastern airlines are echoing the trend, with Japan Airlines pausing Tokyo-Doha services until early April and Flynas suspending flights to multiple Gulf cities through March 31. British Airways has extended cancellations on routes to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai, and Tel Aviv into May, while pushing back launches of new services to Tel Aviv and Beirut to mid-June for Norwegian Air.

Low-cost carriers like Turkish Airlines and Wizz Air have similarly cut most Middle East flights, stretching cancellations into April and even September for select routes. Singapore Airlines is suspending Dubai services until April's end but increasing flights to London and Melbourne to accommodate shifted demand.

This wide-ranging flight groundstop underscores the chaos the Middle East conflict is generating for global air travel. As airlines recalibrate routes, some are boosting alternative hubs and long-haul flights to cover lost ground. For now, air travelers to and from the region face waves of cancellations running well into the year.