Flight chaos: 651 cancellations
Middle East tensions have led to at least 651 flight cancellations and 172 delays across Gulf and European hubs in the last 48 hours; Air Canada has suspended Toronto–Dubai until at least May 1, IndiGo canceled 97 Dubai flights, while Emirates and Flydubai still operated roughly 203 flights this week. [](https://travelandtourworld.com/news/article/thousands-of-passengers-hampered-in-middle-east-today-as-saudi-arabia-bahrain-qatar-kuwait-jordan-and-more-cancel-651-flights-and-delay-172-grounding-royal-jordanian-etihad-ryanair-klm-air-fr/) [](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/travel/news/dubai-airports-flight-status-on-march-14-air-india-to-run-80-flights-indigo-cancels-97-amid-growing-west-asia-regional-tensions/articleshow/129568675.cms) [](https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/emirates-and-flydubai-defy-travel-chaos-dubais-airlines-are-navigating-the-middle-east-crisis-with-203-flights-this-week/).
The immediate wave of cancellations followed U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, which prompted widespread airspace restrictions and temporary airport closures across Gulf hubs. money.usnews.com Air Canada announced a halt to its Toronto–Dubai service until May 1, saying it will redeploy some capacity to other South Asian routes while the suspension remains in effect. economictimes.indiatimes.com India’s largest carrier IndiGo reported a cancellation of 97 Dubai-bound flights on March 14, a disruption officials said affected services from multiple Indian cities across Gulf and Saudi Arabia routes. timesofindia.indiatimes.com Dubai-based carriers Emirates and flydubai maintained a reduced but significant schedule — operating roughly 203 combined departures across March 12–13 to sustain long‑haul links to hubs like London, New York and Sydney. loyaltylobby.com Several governments organized repatriation flights and dozens of other carriers either suspended or rerouted services, with Reuters reporting coordinated evacuations and large-scale schedule changes as operators sought safe corridors. money.usnews.com
