Air travel across the Middle East has been disrupted after Israel launched a series of missile strikes on Iranian targets on June 13, 2025. This prompted an immediate closure of airspace over Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Jordan, which led to widespread flight cancellations and diversions, affecting thousands of passengers.
According to Eurocontrol, around 1,800 flights to and from Europe have been affected on Friday, including approximately 650 cancellations as of now.
Among the most affected airlines were those operating long-haul flights between Europe, the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East, many of which rely heavily on the now-closed Middle Eastern air corridors. Air India alone reported 12 diversions and four aircraft returning to India mid-flight, alongside Emirates and Qatar Airways.
Moreover, the Israeli flag carrier El Al and budget airline Israir began evacuating aircraft from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, which was shut down amid fears of retaliatory missile strikes.
Airspace Closures Across the Region
Iran closed its airspace “until further notice,” while Iraq suspended all airport operations early Friday. Jordan followed hours later, effectively blocking the airspace stretching from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, ordered its airlines to avoid the region entirely until June 26, barring flights to Iran and Israel altogether.
Data from Flightradar24 showed empty skies over the affected countries by late Friday morning. Most flights were rerouted south via Saudi Arabia and Egypt or north through Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. Safe Airspace, a platform operated by OPSGROUP, confirmed that traffic was being funneled around the restricted zones, drastically increasing flight times and costs.
This new disruption adds pressure to an industry already burdened by high fuel prices, labor shortages, and extended detours due to geopolitical conflicts. Oil prices spiked over 7% following the strikes, while shares in major European airlines dropped sharply.
Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Air India Flight Diversions
Emirates has rerouted multiple transatlantic and European flights to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace, with several flights diverting to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other nearby countries. This has affected key routes between Dubai and major North American cities.
Diverted Emirates flights include:
- EK216 (Los Angeles to Dubai) → Diverted to Jeddah
- EK242 (Toronto to Dubai) → Diverted to Jeddah
- EK164 (Dublin to Dubai) → Diverted to Dammam
- EK6 (London Heathrow to Dubai) → Diverted to Bahrain
- EK232 (Washington D.C. to Dubai) → Diverted to Athens
- EK204 (New York JFK to Dubai) → Diverted to Cairo
- EK21 (Dubai to Manchester) → Diverted to Frankfurt
- EK215 (Dubai to Los Angeles) → Re-routed via Pakistan and the North Pole
Qatar Airways has also diverted numerous transatlantic and European flights to Egypt or France to avoid closed airspaces. These diversions impacted both eastbound and westbound flights connecting Doha with major U.S. and European cities.
Diverted Qatar Airways flights include:
- QR714 (Houston to Doha) → Diverted to Paris CDG
- QR704 (New York JFK to Doha) → Diverted to Cairo
- QR16 (London Heathrow to Doha) → Diverted to Cairo
- QR710 (Washington D.C. to Doha) → Diverted to Cairo
- QR38 (Paris CDG to Doha) → Diverted to Cairo
- QR24 (Manchester to Doha) → Diverted to Cairo
Moreover, Air India faced significant disruptions due to the closure of Iranian and Iraqi airspace, affecting its Europe- and North America-bound services. Multiple flights were diverted to alternate airports in Europe and the Middle East, while a few returned to their points of origin.
- AI130 (London Heathrow to Mumbai) → Diverted to Vienna
- AI102 (New York JFK to Delhi) → Diverted to Sharjah
- AI116 (New York JFK to Mumbai) → Diverted to Jeddah
- AI2018 (London Heathrow to Delhi) → Diverted to Mumbai
- AI188 (Vancouver to Delhi) → Diverted to Jeddah
- AI101 (Delhi to New York JFK) → Diverted to Frankfurt/Milan
- AI126 (Chicago ORD to Delhi) → Diverted to Jeddah
- AI104 (Washington D.C. to Delhi) → Diverted to Vienna
- AI190 (Toronto to Delhi) → Diverted to Frankfurt
- AI119 (Mumbai to New York JFK) → Returned to Mumbai
- AI103 (Delhi to Washington D.C.) → Returned to Delhi
Airlines Response
Airlines across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia have been affected by the Israel-Iran conflict. All airlines either suspended operations or rerouted flights to avoid Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, and Jordanian airspace. Below is a summary of major carrier responses:
- Emirates: Cancelled all flights to and from Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.
- Qatar Airways: Cancelled two scheduled flights to Damascus and temporarily suspended all flights to Iran and Iraq.
- El Al Airlines: Suspended all flights to and from Israel. Diverted inbound flights to Cyprus and Greece. Moved aircraft out of Israel as a precaution amid fears of retaliation.
- Israir Airlines: Suspended operations entirely and evacuated aircraft from Tel Aviv. Ben Gurion Airport remains closed to commercial traffic through the weekend.
- Delta Air Lines: Delta flight DL234 from New York JFK to Tel Aviv turned back mid-flight and landed in New York at 1:44 AM, after eight hours in the air.
- Flydubai: Suspended all flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Iran, and Israel. Several flights, including a Belgrade–Dubai flight, were rerouted to Yerevan, Armenia. Some aircraft returned to their origin airports mid-flight.
- Air India: Heavily impacted due to reliance on Iranian and Iraqi airspace. Diverted at least 12 long-haul flights (including from JFK, ORD, YVR, and LHR) to cities such as Vienna, Jeddah, Frankfurt, Sharjah, and Mumbai. Four flights returned to their departure airports.
- United Airlines: Flight UA84 from Newark to Tel Aviv turned back over the Atlantic and landed in Newark at 2:38 AM after a 10-hour flight to nowhere.
- Etihad Airways: Cancelled two flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. Delayed four additional departures. Some aircraft diverted to Baku, Azerbaijan, whereas others are rerouted to avoid the closed airspace.
- Turkish Airlines: Diverted some flights to Azerbaijan. Continuing operations with airspace adjustments. No full cancellations yet.
- Pegasus Airlines: Cancelled all flights to Iran until June 19 and suspended flights to Iraq and Jordan until June 16. Lebanon services are operating during daylight hours only.
- AJet (AnadoluJet): Cancelled all flights to Iran, Iraq, and Jordan until Monday morning. Operating Lebanon flights during daylight only. Planning to reroute other Middle East flights to avoid affected airspace while still flying over Iraq, where it is safe.
- Lufthansa: Suspended all flights to and from Tehran. Avoiding Iranian, Iraqi, and Israeli airspace entirely. Flights are rerouted via northern or southern corridors.
- Air France – KLM: Cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until at least July 1. Avoiding airspace over conflict zones.
- Wizz Air: Suspended Tel Aviv flights and rerouted others flying through affected Middle East airspace. Multiple flights were canceled or adjusted through the weekend.
- LOT Polish Airlines: Rerouted flights to Asia to avoid Iranian airspace.
- Aeroflot: Cancelled Moscow–Tehran services. Rerouted flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and the Maldives through Pakistani airspace. Implementing broader regional route changes.
- Aegean Airlines: Cancelled all Tel Aviv flights for June 13. Further updates pending based on security assessments.
- airBaltic: Cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until June 23. Other services are operating normally.
- TAROM: Suspended all commercial flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, and Amman until at least June 16.
- ITA Airways: Extended suspension of Tel Aviv flights through July 31 due to security concerns.
- Ryanair: Cancelled all Tel Aviv flights until August 31. Monitoring the situation for changes.
Sources: FlightRadtar24, Aero World