Tens of thousands of people on trips booked through German travel agencies have been left unable to return home as the US-Israel war with Iran disrupts regional aviation, a leading industry group said. The German Travel Association estimates about 30,000 tourists are currently stranded because countries in the area have closed airspace and many carriers have suspended services.
Flag carrier Lufthansa announced it will avoid the airspace over Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia’s Dammam airport until at least March 8; United Arab Emirates airspace will be avoided until at least March 4. Travellers in affected areas have been told to follow safety guidance from the German Foreign Ministry and instructions from local authorities.
Dertour, Germany’s second-largest tour operator, said guests who cannot fly home or are waiting for connections have been informed and are being cared for on site. The company has set up a crisis hotline, is accompanying transfers, will notify customers about return journeys when possible and has cancelled all trips to the eight affected countries until at least Thursday.
A Defence Ministry spokesperson said using military aircraft to evacuate German nationals would be a last resort if commercial options are exhausted.
Major transit hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi reported heavy disruption, with reports of hundreds of thousands of travellers affected. Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimated at least 90,000 people transit through those three airports each day. At least 2,800 flights were cancelled worldwide on Saturday and a further 3,000 on Sunday — the most severe air-travel disruption since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Story edited by Karl Sexton.