Emirates & Qatar Airways Flights Affected Due To Airspace Closure In Iran; DXB Announces Flight Delays

With tensions high in the Middle East and the sudden closure of the airspace in Iran, several flights have been affected. These include flights from the Middle East that were diverted early on Friday. According to the data showcased on Flightradar24, carriers quickly sprang into action to divert several flights, and many were also cancelled for the safety of passengers and crew.

Dubai Airport Announces Flight Delays

Dubai Airport announced that several flights were affected due to the conflict. Emirates, a Dubai-based airline, cancelled its Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iran flights early on Friday, June 13, as revealed by Arab News. In fact, Jordan also closed its airspace to all flights. Moreover, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi also took to social media to report that flight diversions were expected. So, passengers have been asked by both airports to check with their airline about the status of their flights.

Several Flights In the Middle East Are Affected

This development comes at a time when several flights that were supposed to land in Dubai were diverted early on June 13. For instance, an Emirates flight that was headed to Dubai from Manchester was diverted to Istanbul while a Dubai flight that was headed from Belgrade had been diverted to Yerevan in Armenia, as revealed by OneIndia.

Not only Emirates, but Dubai-based flydubai also announced that it has suspended its flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Israel, and Iran. In fact, a large number of other flights have also been cancelled, returned or rerouted to their departure airports.

Qatar Airways, Emirates & flydubai Flights Amongst Those Affected

Not only Dubai, but the flag carrier of Qatar, Qatar Airways, has also seen several diversions. Three of its flights that were headed to India and Dubai had to turn back before they entered the Iranian airspace. A Swiss flight that was headed to Dubai from Zürich had been diverted to Antalya in Turkey. This happened just before it entered the Iranian airspace. British Airways flight was also redirected to Larnaca, Cyprus, which was headed from London to Dubai. Similarly, Royal Jordanian Airlines had also diverted its Paris-Amman flight.

Also Read: Amid Iran Airspace Closure, Air India Reroutes Flights; Multiple Airports Issue Advisories

Although it is expected that some airspace might open later in the day, Iran continues to extend its closure until further notice. Many European and Asian airlines that use the Middle Eastern airspace have therefore been affected. And UAE airlines have suspended flights to several destinations. Additionally, dozens of flights that were headed to or arriving from countries like Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Jordan, Georgia, Lebanon, and Israel have also been affected.

Air Arabia also announced that it has temporarily cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Armenia, Jordan, Russia, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia.

Cover Image Courtesy: Emirates Airlines/Instagram