Commercial flights across the Middle East and other regions have been largely suspended after United States and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday, prompting several countries to close their airspace while airlines rushed to reroute or cancel flights.
Turkish Airlines has suspended flights to ten Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Jordan, until March 2.
Turkish Airlines Spokesman, Yahya Ustun, said services to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman were halted for the day, according to TRT World.
Russia’s air transport authority, Rosaviatsia announced that flights from Russia to Iran and Israel have been halted indefinitely.
It also advised Russian carriers to reroute services to the Gulf after airspace closures in Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain, along with partial restrictions over the United Arab Emirates.
Lufthansa and its subsidiaries have cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, and Tehran through March 7.
Flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi were suspended until Sunday, with the airline citing the “current situation in the Middle East” as the reason for the cancellations.
Swiss International Air Lines has halted all flights to and from Tel Aviv through March 7, impacting 14 return services.
It also halted its Zurich–Dubai route due to extensive airspace closures in the region.
IndiGo and Air India, India’s two largest private airlines, suspended all flights to Middle East destinations on Saturday.
Air India attributed the move to the “developing situation” in the region, while IndiGo said the decision was driven by concerns for passenger and crew safety.
The US and Israel carried out strikes on Iran Saturday morning, following what the Israeli military described as months of “close and joint planning.”
Israel stated that the attacks targeted Iran’s supreme leader, president, and top military officials, CNN reports.
