Travellers stranded, airlines under pressure as Iran war escalates
Al Jazeera
Thousands of passengers are stranded as major Gulf hubs, including Dubai, have remained closed or severely restricted for a fourth day.
The airline and tourism industries are scrambling to deal with the fallout from the escalating US and Israeli air war against Iran, while governments have rushed to bring stranded travellers home from the Middle East following the cancellation of more than 20,000 flights over a handful of days.
Major Gulf hubs, including Dubai, the world’s busiest international airport, remained closed or severely restricted for a fourth day on Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded. According to Flightradar24, some 21,300 flights have been cancelled at seven major airports, including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, since the strikes started.
The attacks have upended travel across a growing region that hosts several thriving business hubs and is trying to diversify away from oil-dominated economies. The turmoil also narrows an already slim flight corridor for long-haul flights between Europe and Asia, complicating operations for global air carriers.
Gulf airlines Emirates, flydubai and Etihad have been operating a limited number of flights since Monday, mostly to repatriate stranded passengers, who have rushed to secure seats.
“It’s pretty well the biggest shutdown we’ve seen certainly since the COVID pandemic,” said Paul Charles, CEO of luxury travel consultancy PC Agency, adding that beyond passenger disruption, the cargo impact would run to “billions of dollars”.
