A limited number of flights out of the Middle East resumed Monday, but hundreds of thousands of travelers remain stranded at major aviation hubs after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent regional attacks. Many tourists and business travelers are sheltering in airports and hotels as they wait for schedules to normalize.
Emirates said it would operate a small number of evening flights Monday and would give priority to passengers with earlier bookings, while cautioning that many services are still suspended. Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 reported more than 3,400 Middle East cancellations on Monday alone, bringing the total since the outbreak of fighting to nearly 10,000. Its figures showed heavy disruption across several major airports, including Dubai (DXB), Doha (DOH) and Abu Dhabi (AUH).
Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha—key connecting hubs between Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia—were shut down over the weekend after Iranian strikes that hit civilian and military sites in U.S.-aligned Gulf states. Dubai International, one of the world’s busiest airports, reopened a limited slate of flights Monday evening after video circulated of passengers fleeing down smoke-filled corridors following a suspected drone strike. Abu Dhabi said partial operations had resumed and Etihad flights were among the first to depart. Doha’s main airport reported flights remained temporarily suspended.
It’s difficult to know exactly how many international travelers are stuck, but analytics firm Cirium estimates roughly 90,000 passengers transit daily through Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways on average—illustrating the scale of disruption if airspace and services remain restricted. Authorities and carriers warn more cancellations are likely while strikes and counterstrikes continue.
Stranded travelers have scrambled to find alternatives or extend hotel stays. Kristy Ellmer of Portsmouth, N.H., who had flown to Dubai on business, said flights kept being canceled and people were anxiously waiting to leave. She added that keeping perspective—recognizing others are facing far worse conditions in the conflict—has helped her stay calm while staying in a hotel that is providing care and support.