Today, significant delays are plaguing two of the world’s busiest airports, Doha and Dubai. Thousands of travellers are waiting for hours in lengthy queues, grappling with flight cancellations and postponements.

The chaos is due to a temporary closure of airspace implemented a day earlier.

Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait shut their air borders late last night in response to an attack by Iran on a US military base in the Qatari capital, Doha. This move forced numerous airlines to either cancel or reschedule flights, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded in prolonged waits.

In Dubai, airports temporarily ceased operations, causing delays for a broad range of flights.

US President Donald Trump has declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, urging both sides to respect the cessation of hostilities. However, reports of ongoing attacks from both nations suggest that clashes continue.

“I haven’t slept for 19 hours and I’ve been waiting in this queue for over nine hours,” lamented 21-year-old Lily Rogers, who was stuck in a queue approximately 200 metres long at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. The psychology student, who was travelling on holiday to Southeast Asia, reported that officials only distributed water to passengers during the wait.

Virgin Australia estimates that more than 25,000 passengers are stranded at Doha airport.

Long queues led to fights breaking out as some passengers attempted to bypass others, according to Reuters.

Approximately 250 flights were cancelled at Hamad International Airport, while another 238 were delayed, as per FlightRadar24 data. A similar situation was observed at Dubai International, the world’s busiest airport, where about 145 flights were cancelled and over 450 were delayed.

Qatar Airways has stated that it is “making progress in restoring its schedule,” although issues may persist until June 26.

Neither Dubai Airports nor the government’s press office have responded to requests for comment.

Major Transit Hub

Middle Eastern airports are among the world’s busiest. They span an area from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean, serving as critical hubs for flights between Europe and Asia.

The region’s significance has further increased in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has forced airlines to circumvent the airspace of both nations.

Last year, Dubai handled 92.3 million passengers, averaging more than 250,000 per day.

Israeli attacks on Iran on June 13 caused airlines such as British Airways and Lufthansa to suspend flights to some Middle Eastern destinations due to airspace closures and security concerns.

These restrictions have also triggered a domino effect beyond the region, as Hamad airport serves as a primary stopover for numerous international destinations, says independent aviation analyst Brendan Soby.

Only 22% of passengers travelling through Hamad have Qatar as their final destination, according to the airport’s 2024 figures.

Information courtesy of APA

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