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Missile and air strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran have led to swift airspace closures, restrictions, and reduced access at critical transit airports in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Spread out across hubs from coast-to-coast in the US and Canada, there are 33 widebody jets from different carriers and bound for different destinations that are now stranded, along with their passengers and crews.
The ‘Big Three’ Get Grounded
Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways, or the ‘Big Three’ Gulf carriers, own most of the planes currently stuck in North America because they cannot fly to the Middle East. El Al also has four jets grounded, awaiting approval to depart. Saudia also has a lone airliner with nowhere to go right now, as do the Qatar Executive and Qatar Cargo subsidiaries of Qatar Airways.
Airspace is currently closed over Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Syria. Thousands of travelers are stuck at transit points worldwide, including hubs like Singapore Changi and London Heathrow, as their connecting flights through the Gulf are grounded. Attempting to get home from a vacation in the Maldives when their connection was canceled, Emma Belcher and her husband, Vic, told the BBC:
“There is absolutely no information about when they might open airspace so we don’t know how long we’ll be here. We were really looking forward to getting home to see the children as we haven’t been away without them before.”
The Marooned Fleet
Drone and missile strikes have been reported at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi (AUH), where one death was reported, and Dubai International Airport (DXB), which reported four injuries. Flights in and out of Dubai International, Doha (DOH), Tel Aviv (TLV), and Abu Dhabi have been suspended until further notice.
Over 3,200 flights in and out of the region were canceled between Saturday and Sunday alone. Below is a list of the aircraft known to be grounded at this time, as compiled using data from Flightradar24:
Carriers flying widebody jets with the range to complete journeys beyond the normally scheduled stops in the Middle East are being rerouted on Southern or Northern legs to avoid the area when possible. Detours have been estimated to add anywhere from one to three hours to total flight times.
Dubai International Airport Hit By Drone Following Iranian Retaliatory Strikes
The news comes following a series of strikes on Saturday.
Trump’s Attack On Iran
Restrictions began on Saturday with the opening salvos of ‘Operation Epic Fury.’ Following the discovery of civilian casualties and the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed to retaliate with its most intense attack to date. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and US Armed Forces continued the missile and air campaign into Sunday, forcing civil air traffic to steer clear of the region.
Claiming a need to eliminate imminent threats and prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump cited his authority as Commander in Chief to launch the massive military operations without Congressional approval. Critics argue the strikes are unconstitutional because they were initiated without a formal declaration of war or authorization from Congress, as required by Article I of the US Constitution.
