March 2, 2026

Thousands of flights canceled due to hostilities in the Middle East

At least 1,239 flights were canceled by the morning of March 2 due to hostilities in the Middle East, The Guardian reported. According to FlightAware, nearly 2,800 more flights were canceled on Saturday and 3,156 on Sunday. The airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Syria, and Lebanon remained practically empty on Monday, according to Flightradar24. Major airlines worldwide also had to change their schedules. Qatar Airways ceased flights due to the closure of Qatari airspace, and Emirates is operating a "limited number of flights" for passengers who had previously booked tickets. Etihad Airways is not operating flights to and from Abu Dhabi until 2:00 PM local time on Tuesday. Major airports in the region are closed or operating with restrictions. In particular, it is impossible to fly from Dubai and Doha. The first civilian flights since the start of hostilities departed from Abu Dhabi today. The Guardian called the situation the largest transport collapse since the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to this, airline stocks began to lose value. For example, on Monday, Japan Airlines shares fell by 5.6%, Singapore Airlines by 4.5%, Qantas by 5.4%, and Cathay Pacific by 2.9%. British Airways shares lost 9%, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM by 7% each. ANA Holdings, Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and AirAsia X shares fell by at least 4%, Reuters noted. Brent crude oil rose by 13%, reaching $80 per barrel on Monday. At the time of writing, the fuel grade costs $79 per barrel. Experts believe the price could rise to $100, which would increase pressure on airlines.