Azernews.Az

Akbar Novruz

Read more

Escalating processes in the Middle East have significantly disrupted global air travel, affecting hundreds of flights from various regions around the world.

AzerNEWS reports, citing aviation analytics firm Cirium, that 966 out of 4,218 flights scheduled to operate to the Middle East on Saturday were canceled. Including outbound flights from the region, the total number of cancellations exceeded 1,800.

On Sunday, of the 4,329 flights scheduled for the Middle East, 716 had already been canceled by early reporting, with expectations that the number would continue to rise throughout the day.

Major Gulf carriers — Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways — are reported to be among the most affected. More than 90,000 passengers use these airlines daily for transit connections alone, amplifying the impact of the disruptions.

Europe’s largest airline group, Lufthansa Group, has suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil and Tehran until March 7.

Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has halted all flights to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia until March 7.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines has suspended flights to 10 countries in the Middle East, while services to other destinations continue to operate as scheduled.

Airlines are closely monitoring the situation, with further schedule adjustments possible depending on developments in the region.