Air travel chaos intensifies as airports remain closed, flights canceled amid Iran war

The wind travel chaos strengthened Monday as fight against Iran into a third day – keeping airports and airports in the Middle East closed and leaving travelers stranded.

Tourists, business travelers and pilgrims have found themselves unexpectedly stuck in hotels, airports and cruise ships, with no word on when most airports will reopen or when flights to, and through, the Middle East will resume.

Among the many stranded were more than 58,000 Indonesians in Saudi Arabia who had visited the Muslim holy sites of Mecca and Medina during Ramadan. And around 30,000 German tourists were also stranded on cruise ships, hotels or closed airports.

Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha – key transit hubs between Europe, Africa and West Asia – remained closed after all were hit directly by Iranian strikes.

However, the government of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, said on Monday that both major airports would reopen later for “limited” flights, a few days after the closure of both facilities due to the US-Israeli attack on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone fire.

“Dubai Airports announces the limited resumption of flights from Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) from this evening,” the Dubai government said on X.

“Dubai Airports has urged passengers not to go to the airport without first contacting the relevant airline to confirm the flight’s departure time,” management noted.

Dubai International Airport is the world’s busiest airport by passenger volume, with 95.2 million people traveling through the airport last year, according to Dubai Airports.

Emirates, based at Dubai International Airport, said it would resume operating a “limited number of flights” on Monday evening, without providing further details. Earlier it said it was suspending flights until 3pm local time on Tuesday.

“We consider pre-booking as a priority for our customers,” he said and advised people not to go to the airport without being notified.

Doha-based Qatar Airways said on Monday its flights remained grounded, with its next update scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Air France canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh, while carriers from Air India to KLM grounded flights and issued advisories.

Airspace in many countries in the region is closed. Jordanian authorities announced Monday that its airport will be closed from later in the evening “until further notice, to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation in Jordanian airspace,” according to the official news agency.

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority said on Monday the total closure of the country’s airspace to travelers will be extended for at least 48 hours due to “ongoing security issues in the region.”

Some governments were trying to help their citizens return home after the conflict erupted on Saturday when Israel and the US bombed Iran.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain was establishing support systems to help citizens flee the Gulf region, which is home to an estimated 300,000 Britons.

“We are looking at a number of options, we are working, especially in the tourism industry and government outsourcing if necessary,” Cooper told Britain’s Sky News.

Asked by Sky whether the UK could be planning a government extradition, Cooper said: “We are working on all possible options.”

“We have to be aware of the level of this, and the fact that there are ongoing strikes,” he said.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Sunday night that there would be no military withdrawal due to the closure of the airport and that the government was looking at other ways to help bring citizens home. He said everyone should follow advice from German tourism agencies and local authorities.

The German Travel Association asked tourists to “stay at their booked hotels immediately” and “not to make their own way to the airport or to a neighboring country.”

Other governments are making similar recommendations.

The US Embassy in Israel said in a security alert on Sunday that it is ordering all US government employees and their families to take shelter in and around their homes until further notice.

It said the embassy would be closed on Monday and was not in a position to evacuate or directly assist Americans in leaving Israel.

President Trump said Sunday that joint operations would continue “until all of our goals are met,” which he said could take up to four weeks. At least four American service members were killed, according to the US military.