Thousands of tourists have been left stranded at airports with both Iranian and Iraqi airspace closed as the conflicts intensify.
As Israel fired missiles into Iran – and Tehran responded – aircraft normally routed across the region were forced into sudden diversions.
Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed jets streaming overnight from the Gulf across northeast Iraq.
Dubai International Airport – the world’s busiest international hub – halted flights.
Around a quarter of a million passengers typically pass through DXB each day.
Dubai’s flagship carrier, Emirates, said: “Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai.
“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused, and we are assisting them with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements.
But at around 6am GMT, that traffic abruptly vanished, with planes instead veering west across Saudi Arabia.
The “major combat operation” announced by Donald Trump on Saturday morning triggered immediate aviation shutdowns.
“Some flights have been cancelled or delayed at @DXB and Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International (DWC) as a result of the partial closure of the airspace of the United Arab Emirates,” a statement by the Dubai airport said
“We kindly ask you to contact your airline and refrain from heading to DXB or DWC at this time,” it added.
Dubai Airports owns and manages the operation and development of both of Dubai’s airports Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC). Over 100 airlines operate flights to and from Dubai to almost all countries across continents
Regional airspace closures have caused disruption to several flights, including Emirates and Air India.
“Emirates urges customers to check emirat.es/travelupdates and emirat.es/flightstatus for the latest updates,” the airline said in a statement.
“We are actively monitoring the situation, engaging with relevant authorities, and adjusting our operations in line with the latest developments.
“Emirates adheres to all regulatory requirements and follows guidance issued by aviation authorities,” the airline said.
Air India cancelled all its flight to and from the Gulf region, mainly to Abu Dhabi, UAE (AUH), Dammam, Saudi Arabia (DMM), Doha, Qatar (DOH), Dubai, UAE (DXB), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (JED), Muscat, Oman (MCT), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (RUH), and Tel Aviv, Israel (TLV), the airline said in a statement posted on its social media X.
The US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran early Saturday, which came after days of build-up with US President Donald Trump ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme.