Airlines halt Gulf flights as US enters Israel-Iran war; Dubai, Doha services affected: What will be its impact?

Major international airlines extended flight cancellations to the Persian Gulf, disrupting air traffic to critical hubs such as Dubai after the US struck nuclear sites in Iran and Tehran vowed to retaliate.

Singapore Airlines said it would suspend service to Dubai until Wednesday night and warned more flights could be cancelled due to the severity of the situation. British Airways added cancellations to Dubai and Doha, while Air France-KLM reportedly will scrap flights to Dubai and Riyadh, reported Bloomberg.

Middle East war disrupts economies

The airlines’ decisions hinted at the potential for escalation of the war between Israel and Iran after US President Donald Trump joined the fight by attacking Iran’s key nuclear sites. The dramatic escalation risks retaliation from Tehran, which will potentially disrupt economies that had previously been unaffected by the fallout of regional hostilities, said Bloomberg.

Prior to the US strikes on Sunday, Tehran threatened to hit US bases in the Persian Gulf should Washington get involved, and close down the Strait of Hormuz, an important oil trade route.

“A widening conflict around the Strait of Hormuz could threaten to disrupt global airline traffic, particularly if flight restrictions to key transfer hubs in Qatar and the UAE were to occur,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Eric Zhu and George Ferguson.

Excluding local carriers, Indian airlines including IndiGo, Turkish Airlines and British Airways are among the most exposed, they wrote.

Airlines affected by hostilities

Singapore Airlines has cancelled flights to Dubai from the city-state since Sunday over security concerns.

British Airways diverted a Dubai-bound flight to Zurich after it reached Saudi Arabia’s airspace in the early hours of Sunday. Another jet returned to Heathrow after going as far as Egypt, the news agency reported.

Airlines take precautionary steps

Asian airlines have also taken steps to safeguard passengers and crews. Japan Airlines plans to have flights between Tokyo’s Haneda airport and Doha avoid airspace above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, adding about 20 minutes to journeys. Air India will progressively avoid the use of certain airspace over the Persian Gulf in the coming days, reported Bloomberg.

The actions come after President Donald Trump decided to attack Iran after decades of hostility. The possibility of further disruption will depend on how forcefully Iran retaliates. Trump has threatened more attacks if Tehran doesn’t capitulate.

The UK is organising a chartered flight for British nationals who want to leave Israel, while Germany sent a military transport plane to extract citizens and France said it also plans repatriation flights, the news agency said.