Global airlines cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and other Middle East destinations, or rerouted planes, on Friday as air spaces shut following Israeli strikes on Iran.
Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria closed their air spaces after Israel hit military and nuclear facilities in Iran.
Israel said Tehran launched drones in retaliation.
Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, said it had cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran after Israel launched the strikes.
Qatar Airways, the country’s national carrier and one of the Middle East’s largest, said it had “temporarily cancelled flights to Iran and Iraq due to (the) current situation in the region”.
Air France said it was suspending its flights to and from Tel Aviv “until further notice” following the closure of Israeli airspace.
“Air France is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East in real-time,” a spokesman for the French airline told AFP, adding that “the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority”.
German airline group, Lufthansa, said it would suspend flights to Tehran until the end of July.
It also extended the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv for the same period.
Air India diverted or called back 16 flights between India and London and cities in Canada and the United States “due to the emerging situation in Iran”.
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The New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights were about to enter Iranian air space when Israel launched its attack, forcing the planes to turn back to their origin, according to aircraft tracker, Flight Aware.
In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi Airport warned that “flight disruptions are expected through today (Friday)” as a result of the Israeli strikes.
Dubai’s airport also announced flight delays and cancellations due to the closure of air spaces in Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
