On February 28, 2026, Israel, with support from the US under President Donald Trump, attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities in Tehran before they could be used. This was the beginning of the war in West Asia. These assaults hit significant places that were linked to Iran’s work on weapons of mass destruction. They seem to have killed a lot of important people, like Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and hurt a lot of their skills. Iran then sent drones and missiles to assault US bases and Israeli sites in the Gulf.This brought in countries like Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait.
The fighting had been going on for five days by March 4. The US-Israel alliance was carrying out military campaigns that were steady but measured, with the goal of neutralizing threats without extending the fighting. President Trump said it would take four to five weeks, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the operations “quick and decisive.” But Iran’s continued strikes and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz have prompted fears of a broader regional war. This would not only impede air travel, but it would also threaten oil supply around the world.
More than 10% of all air travel goes over West Asian airspace, which makes this worse than the Russia-Ukraine war and other historical occurrences.The swift shutdown of the skies over numerous nations caused an instant “hole in the sky.” This forced airlines to modify their routes to longer ones, such as the Caucasus corridor.
How many flights are being delayed around the world
Airspace closures have caused terrible cancellations: Flightradar24 said that on March 1, 3,400 flights were canceled at seven airports in West Asia. By March 4, that number had risen to more than 23,000, affecting almost 4.4 million seats. Dubai International Airport, the busiest in the world, had 435 departures and 395 arrivals canceled in one day. Abu Dhabi Airport, which is not far behind, had more than 240 problems.
Indian airports were hit the worst, with Indian airlines canceling 1,117 international flights in the first three days. This included 80 flights at Delhi, 107 at Mumbai, 42 at Bengaluru, and 30 at Chennai. Kochi said that 41 flights were canceled to places like Doha, Sharjah, and Jeddah. Asia-Pacific hubs including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, and Manila felt the effects around the world, with more than 2,500 cancellations on March 2 alone.
Some of the most affected airlines are:
Emirates: 485 flights canceled, mostly from Dubai.
Etihad Airways: 190 flights are canceled.
Flydubai: 181 problems.
IndiGo and Air India have canceled hundreds of flights to the west.
106 flights from Doha were canceled by Qatar Airways.
International airlines including Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and British Airways changed the routes of their flights to and from the Middle East or stopped them altogether.
GPS spoofing and jamming made things worse and delayed even flights that weren’t canceled. Cargo operations also affected, with billions of dollars worth of perishable products from India being delayed.
Thousands of people stuck around the world
More than 100,000 people are still stuck, especially in Gulf hubs that have become ghost towns. In the UAE, 100 people from Karnataka, India, were stuck in Dubai, along with nine in Bahrain. The districts that were struck the hardest were Ballari (32) and Bengaluru (25). There are many stories of families like MLC Bhojegowda’s who were stuck on their way from Johannesburg to Bengaluru via Dubai.
South Asians who needed to fly from Europe to America through the Gulf had trouble at secondary airports. Governments set up crisis cells: India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation set up 24-hour helplines through AirSewa, and states worked with embassies to bring people back home. The US arranged special flights for its people, and airlines like Emirates offered limited repatriation assistance.
As travelers slept on the floors of airports, food supplies ran low, and reunions were put off, the emotional toll grew. Paul Charles, CEO of travel consulting firm PC Agency, said, “It’s the biggest shutdown since COVID,” pointing out that cargo losses are in the billions.
Effects of the economy on the aviation industry
At first, airline stocks fell sharply, but they started to rise again on March 5 when some flights started up again. Rerouting costs hundreds of gallons of gasoline per flight, and oil prices went up 6–13% because of fears about Hormuz. War-risk insurance premiums went up a lot, which made it harder to get on planes and raised ticket prices.
Indian airlines that stopped flying to the Gulf reported huge losses, and multinational companies had to pay their crews more and use fewer planes. Advisories caused tourism to West Asia to drop, which affected other countries. Delays in cargo shipments hurt perishable exports and made supply chain problems worse.
Experts say that a long-lasting battle might have effects similar to those of the war in Ukraine, which would lower margins on east-west corridors.
What the Government and Airlines Did
Airlines quickly stopped flying: SpiceJet warned of effects on Dubai, and KLM stayed away from the sky over Iran, Iraq, and Israel. Indian companies started special flights to help people who were stuck get home. By March 3, 1,221 people had been sent home.
Governments sent out NOTAMs and warnings. Karnataka’s SEOC sent 109 cases to MEA, asking for Sarthi Sahayata registration. Dubai and Doha are partially open for necessities, but full recovery depends on de-escalation.
Because of the growing turmoil in West Asia, planes around the world are delayed, and thousands of passengers are stuck.
