Travel chaos: Here's what to do if your flight to or from the Middle East is cancelled
As of Monday, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE were among the nations that announced at least partial closures of their skies.
Military operations by the US and Israel in Iran are causing travel chaos for some passengers due to flying to or from various airports in the region.
Many travellers to and from the Middle East, whose plans are now uncertain, are scrambling to work out what rights they have and what they should do next.
As of Monday, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE were among the nations that announced at least partial closures of their skies, leading to widespread flight suspensions, cancellations, and diversions, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded around the world.
Major airports such as Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Bahrain closed due to heightened security concerns at the weekend.
On Monday, Qatar Airways issued an update on flight operations which remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace. A further update will be provided on March 03 by 09:00 Doha time (06:00 UTC). Passengers are advised to monitor the latest flight information via http://qatarairways.com or the Qatar Airways mobile app,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Etihad Airways advised on Monday that regional airspace closures are continuing to impact the airline's operations, and all flights to and from Abu Dhabi are suspended until 2pm on Tuesday.
Emirates has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai until 3pm UAE time on Tuesday, March 3.
Air Arabia has suspended all flights to and from the UAE until 3 pm (UAE time) Tuesday March, 03. Flights to Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq are suspended until March 4.
At least 13 flights between Ireland and the Middle East on Sunday were cancelled, with the DAA, the authority that runs Dublin Airport, warning of further disruption in the days ahead.
A statement released by Dublin Airport on X on Monday read: “All flights scheduled to operate between Dublin Airport and airports in the Middle East today (Monday) have been cancelled by airlines.
“The Dublin Airport team continues to work closely with airlines as they deal with the impact of airspace and airport closures in the Middle East.
“With no certainty regarding when airspace and airports in the Middle East will reopen, further disruption to flight schedules over the coming days is possible.
“As always, passengers are advised to contact their airline directly for the latest updates on the status of their flight.” The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has also upgraded its travel advisories for the region and has advised against non-essential travel to Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
The updating of the DFA warnings is significant and means that if and when flights and holidays are cancelled as a result of the conflict, it will make claiming money back from travel agents and airlines easier.
Passengers also have specific consumer rights under European law, and while it applies to all passengers departing from an EU or European Economic Area (EEA) airport, it also applies to passengers departing from an airport outside of the EU or EEA but arriving at an EU or EEA airport on an EU or EEA-licensed carrier.
If a passenger is denied boarding, or their flight has been cancelled or delayed, an airline must provide them with a written notice setting out the rules for compensation and assistance.
Under EU Regulation 261, airlines are obliged to offer passengers affected by cancellations a full refund or a rerouting on the next available flight or at a later time that suits the passenger.
If a passenger opts for a refund the airline’s responsibility to them ends there and then.
If they ask to be put on the next available flight then the airline must provide care and assistance until that passenger can be accommodated on an alternative flight.
Denied boarding means that the airline has refused to accommodate a passenger on scheduled flights, even though they have a valid ticket and correct documentation (passport, visa), have confirmed their reservation on their flight, and have presented themselves for check-in within the required time limit as specified by the airline.
Denied boarding happens when airlines sell more tickets for a scheduled flight than there are seats on the aircraft.
Where a flight is overbooked, the airline will first call for volunteers to surrender their confirmed reservations to the airline in exchange for agreed benefits. The volunteers are also entitled to a choice of refunding the cost of their ticket within seven days if they do not want to travel, re-routing to their final destination at the earliest opportunity or re-routing at a later date at the passenger’s convenience, subject to seat availability.
If there are not enough volunteers, the airline may deny boarding to passengers against their will. Still, it must compensate them and offer the appropriate assistance set out in the law.
Passengers must also be offered a choice of refunding the cost of their ticket within seven days if they do want to travel, re-routing to their final destination at the earliest opportunity or re-routing at a later date at their convenience, subject to the availability of seats.
A refund is a full refund of the ticket for the part or parts of the journey a passenger has not made, and for the part or parts they have already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose to their original travel plan.
If a flight is cancelled, regardless of when passengers are notified, they are entitled to a choice of a refund of the cost of their ticket within seven days, re-routing to their final destination at the earliest opportunity, or re-routing at a later date at their convenience, subject to seat availability. Passengers may also be entitled to compensation.
Passengers are not entitled to compensation if they have received at least two weeks’ notice of the cancellation; they have received between two weeks and seven days’ notice, but have been offered an alternative flight departing no more than two hours before their original departure time and arriving at their final destination less than four hours after the original scheduled time of arrival, or they have received less than seven days’ notice, but have been offered an alternative flight departing no more than one hour before the original departure time and arriving at their final destination less than two hours after their original scheduled time of arrival.
All flights scheduled to operate between Dublin Airport and airports in the Middle East today (Monday) have been cancelled by airlines.
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) March 2, 2026
The Dublin Airport team continues to work closely with airlines as they deal with the impact of airspace and airport closures in the Middle… pic.twitter.com/bav4u8KSvO
If the airline can prove that the cancellation was caused by an extraordinary circumstance which could not have been avoided, even if all reasonable measures had been taken, no compensation is payable.
Examples of extraordinary circumstances may include weather conditions, air traffic control restrictions, security risks and industrial disputes that affect the operation of the flight.
If the passenger chooses a refund and is entitled to compensation, the amount entitled to depends on the type of flight.
Whether a delayed flight comes within the terms of the law depends upon the distance of the route involved and the length of the delay.
- Delays of 2 hours or more in the case of flights of 1500 km or less (short haul)
- Delays of 3 hours or more in the case of all flights within the EU of more than 1500 km, and all other flights between 1500 and 3500 km (medium haul)
- Delays of 4 hours or more in the case of all other flights (long haul)
If a passenger’s delayed flight is covered by the law, free meals and refreshments must be offered depending on the waiting time. Hotel accommodation must also be offered free of charge where an overnight stay becomes necessary, and transport between the hotel and the airport. The passenger must be offered two free telephone calls, fax messages, or emails.
If the airline does not provide this assistance, and the passenger pays for their own meals, hotel, or transport, they are entitled to reimbursement of their expenses.
If the flight is delayed by at least five hours, passengers must be offered a refund of their ticket instead of flying.
The scale of the disruption since the weekend, with Dubai International Airport, the busiest transit hub in the world, completely closed, is such that staff in many airlines might be hard to find.
Passengers who cannot make contact with an airline or cannot access assistance may have to make their own reasonable arrangements and should retain all receipts for expenses incurred, as they will need to claim back reasonable expenses.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers remain stranded in what has been described as the most acute aviation shock since the covid pandemic paralysed the industry.
On Monday, Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, apparently hitting the American embassy compound in Kuwait, while Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran as the war in the Middle East expanded.
Later, Kuwait’s defence ministry said several US warplanes crashed in the country on Monday, with all the pilots safely bailing out.
- For information relating to specific flights, people are advised to check directly with their airline.
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