The war between Iran and Israel has led to chaos at airports in the Middle East. Thousands of travelers are stranded at the international airports of Dubai and Doha after their flights were canceled due to closed airspaces.
Due to airstrikes by Iran and Israel, it was not safe to fly. Hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled. Dutch travelers have also emailed NU.nl saying they have been waiting for more information for hours.
Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait closed their airspace on Monday when Iran decided to attack American military bases in the Qatari capital Doha. In the United Arab Emirates, air traffic was temporarily suspended.
A ceasefire is now in effect between Iran and Israel, but this does not immediately eliminate the accumulated delay. The two countries waged war against each other for almost two weeks.
“I haven’t slept for nineteen hours. And I’ve been standing in this queue for nine hours,” Reuters news agency quotes 21-year-old Lily Rogers as saying. According to journalists present, the queue to enter the airport is more than 200 meters long. Some skirmishes reportedly broke out when travelers tried to bypass the queue. “We only got a little water,” says Rogers.
Several airlines have acknowledged that travelers are stranded in the Middle East. Virgin Australia estimates that 25,000 travelers alone are stranded at Doha airport. Many airports in the Middle East are of immense importance for international air traffic, as many travelers transfer there to other flights to Europe or Asia.