Airlines halt Middle East flights amid US-Iran tensions. Photos: X.
Several major international airlines have suspended operations to and from the Middle East as tensions escalate between the United States and Iran. Key destinations affected by the cancellations include Israel, Dubai, and Riyadh. The cancellations follow statements by US President Donald Trump, who on Thursday announced that a US “armada” is heading toward the Gulf amid heightened scrutiny of Iran’s handling of domestic protests and its nuclear programme.
“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it,” Trump said, describing the deployment as precautionary. “We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case… I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” he added.
The deployment includes the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying destroyers, which are expected to join existing US naval forces in the Persian Gulf and Bahrain. In addition, US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle jets and military cargo aircraft have been dispatched to the region. The United Kingdom has also sent Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar in a defensive capacity, according to reports.
France’s national carrier Air France announced it would temporarily suspend flights to Dubai, citing the geopolitical situation.
“Due to the current situation in the Middle East, the company has decided to temporarily suspend its service to Dubai,” the airline said in a statement to AFP.
KLM confirmed to Dutch public broadcaster NOS on Friday that it had suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai, Dammam, and Riyadh until further notice. The airline also stated that it would avoid flying through the airspace of Iraq, Iran, Israel, and several Gulf countries. While KLM did not provide a detailed reason for the suspensions, it said it was coordinating with Dutch authorities.
Lufthansa Group has limited its operations to daytime flights and continues to avoid Iranian airspace, according to NDTV.
United Airlines and Air Canada have also cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, while British Airways had temporarily halted flights to Bahrain earlier this month, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Flight disruptions in the Gulf are not unprecedented. Several European and American carriers paused operations in June following Iranian missile strikes on a base in Qatar.
Also Read: US Hits Iran’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ With Sanctions Amid Protest Crackdown, Escalating Middle East Tensions
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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