- Flights across Dubai halted due to regional airspace disruptions amid Middle East tensions
- About 346 flights grounded, stranding thousands of passengers of various nationalities
- Disruptions followed Israeli strikes on Iran and subsequent missile exchanges in the region
Air travel across Dubai, one of the world's busiest aviation hubs, was thrown into disarray on Saturday after regional airspace disruptions forced flights to halt, stranding thousands of passengers as military tensions escalated across the Middle East.
The disruption followed missile exchanges between Iran and Israel after Israel, backed by the United States, launched strikes on Tehran.
Travellers arriving in Dubai described widespread uncertainty as aircraft were grounded and routes abruptly changed.
"It's been quite chaotic since the planes have been grounded, almost around 8 am here in Dubai," George Koshy, a passenger caught in the disruption, told NDTV.
"A lot of people who were to take flights here, especially understand the fact that Dubai is one of the key hubs, key international hubs, where planes actually take off to different regions across the world, especially to Europe as well as the US."
Koshy said he was on a flight from Dubai to San Francisco that departed around 8.50 am but was forced to turn back.
"After almost four hours of circling around and trying, the captain tried multiple routes that could possibly be taken but it did not go through," he said.
The aircraft remained airborne while crews searched for clearance to return.
"We finally had to find another 40 minutes of airtime before we could actually find a parking slot, a landing slot and then be brought down."
Hundreds Of Flights Affected
According to Koshy, the scale of disruption quickly became apparent after landing.
"But having said that, it has been chaos since we got here," he said, adding that authorities were attempting to manage stranded travellers.
"It's almost 346 flights that have been grounded… we're talking about almost double and triple that number of passengers who have been stranded here from every nationality."
He said passengers were waiting for immigration processing, accommodation arrangements and further updates.
"All of those logistics involved is not the easiest of tasks and the authorities are grappling with all of those at this point of time."
Uncertainty over when airspace might reopen added to the confusion.
"Nobody knows when the next announcement would be heard about the fact that there could be a possible opening up of the airspace… it is definitely chaos personified."
Missile Exchanges Trigger Regional Escalation
The aviation disruption followed escalating military action after Israel, with US support, carried out what the Pentagon called “Operation Epic Fury” against Tehran, referencing a previous campaign known as “Midnight Hammer”.
Israel said Mohammad Pakpour, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in the strikes.
Iran responded by launching what the Israeli military described as a “barrage of missiles” toward Israel.
Emergency sirens sounded in Bahrain following a missile threat targeting the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, according to the country's interior ministry.
Explosions were reported in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Doha in Qatar and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, cities that host American military personnel or facilities.
Abu Dhabi's Al Dhafra Air Base is jointly operated by US and Emirati forces, while Dubai's Jebel Ali Port serves as the US Navy's largest regional port of call. Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base functions as the forward headquarters for US Central Command, and Saudi Arabia hosts more than 2,000 US troops at Prince Sultan Air Base.
Qatar said it successfully intercepted the incoming “attacks”.
Leaders Defend Military Action
US President Donald Trump announced “major combat operations” following the strikes, saying the objective was to “defend the American people by removing imminent threats from Iran”.
Calling Iran the world's “number one state sponsor of terror”, Trump said: “For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted, Death to America, and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder…”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the joint operation aimed to “remove an existential threat posed” by Iran and could “create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”
