Flights across the Middle East were thrown into chaos on Saturday after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, forcing multiple airlines, including Canada’s largest carrier, to cancel or divert flights and leaving thousands of travellers stranded or rerouted.
For Canadian airlines operating routes into major Middle Eastern hubs, the closures triggered immediate cancellations and uncertainty over when normal service can safely resume.
After initially cancelling only Saturday flights to and from Dubai, Air Canada announced that all flights to Dubai are cancelled until March 3, while flights to Israel are cancelled until March 8.
“We are monitoring the situation and will adjust our schedule accordingly,” the airline said in a statement, urging passengers to check live updates through its online flight status system.
Following the attack on Iran, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar closed their airspace. Airspace in southern Syria was also shut down, cutting off several key global flight corridors.
Aircraft already en route to cities including Tel Aviv and Dubai early Saturday were diverted mid-flight or returned to their departure airports as the closures took effect.
Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, reported that four people were injured in what officials described as a “blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles.”
Emirates, whose main hub is Dubai International Airport, suspended all operations to and from Dubai until 6 a.m. EST on Sunday. The airline normally operates seven weekly flights between Dubai and Toronto.
The first reported strike occurred near the offices of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Iranian state media saying attacks took place nationwide and smoke rising from Tehran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a video posted to social media that the United States had begun “major combat operations in Iran,” claiming Tehran continued developing its nuclear program and missile capabilities.
Later Saturday, Trump said that Khamenei had died following the attack, though Iranian authorities had not officially confirmed the claim.
The expanding conflict has disrupted major international travel routes linking Europe, Asia and North America, with airlines warning passengers to expect further delays and cancellations as airspace restrictions remain in place.
