UAE carriers suspend, reroute flights after Israel strikes Iran

UAE airlines have suspended and rerouted a number of flights due to the temporary closure of airspace over Iran and Israel.

Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and Iranian airspace have been closed until further notice after Israel launched attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military on Friday.

In a statement sent to ARN News, a flydubai spokesperson confirmed its services have been impacted.

"Flights to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Russia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan have been cancelled on June 13 and 14," the airline said.

Customers are advised to contact the flydubai contact centre in Dubai, visit the flydubai travel shop, or reach out to their respective travel agent for rebooking or refund options.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said "select flights have been cancelled or delayed" due to airspace closures and the ongoing regional situation.

• Friday, June 13: EY595 / EY596, EY593 / EY594, and EY597 / EY598 between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv are cancelled, while EY590 from Amman to Abu Dhabi is experiencing an extended delay
• Saturday, June 14: EY595 / EY596 between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv,  and EY589 from Abu Dhabi to Amman, are currently scheduled to operate but may be subject to delay

In addition, Etihad said passengers transiting through Abu Dhabi to connect to cancelled flights will not be accepted for travel from their point of origin.

In a statement sent to ARN News, Emirates Airline said it has cancelled flights from Dubai to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Iran.

• Friday, June 13: EK945/EK946 Dubai-Basra-Dubai; EK943/EK944 Dubai-Baghdad-Dubai; EK979/EK978 Dubai-Tehran-Dubai; EK980 Tehran‑Dubai; EK903/EK904 Dubai-Amman-Dubai; EK905/EK906 Dubai-Amman-Dubai; EK957/EK958 Dubai-Beirut-Dubai; EK953/EK954 Dubai-Beirut-Dubai
• Saturday, June 14: EK977/EK978 Dubai-Tehran-Dubai; EK971/EK972 Dubai‑Tehran‑Dubai; EK979/EK980 Dubai‑Tehran‑Dubai; EK943/EK944 Dubai-Baghdad-Dubai
• Sunday, June 15: EK977/EK978 Dubai-Tehran-Dubai; EK979/EK980 Dubai‑Tehran‑Dubai; EK945/EK946 Dubai-Basra-Dubai; EK941/EK942 Dubai-Baghdad-Dubai

Those "connecting through Dubai with final destinations in Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon; and customers with onwards flydubai connections to suspended destinations will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin until further notice," the airline added.

Emirates Airline's operations to Tel Aviv have been suspended since October 2023.

Passengers have been advised to check with their airlines or booking agents for regular updates.

Iraq early on Friday closed its airspace and suspended all traffic at its airports, Iraqi state media reported.

Jordan, which sits between Israel and Iraq, closed its airspace several hours after the Israeli campaign began.

Meanwhile, Air India, which flies over Iran for its Europe and North American flights, said several flights were being diverted or returned to their origin, including ones from New York, Vancouver, Chicago, Newark, Washington and London.