Middle East flight disruptions: KLM, Air France, and Lufthansa suspend routes amid US-Iran standoff

Global airlines, including KLM and Air France, have halted flights to Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh as US President Trump sends a naval "armada" toward the Gulf.

International air travel across the Middle East faces a rare total shutdown as global carriers cancel flights and reroute paths to avoid potential combat zones after threats of a direct military confrontation between the United States and Iran. KLM, Lufthansa, and Air France have issued emergency suspensions of their flights in the wake of the increased tensions.

The disruptions have hit key global hubs such as Dubai, Riyadh, and Tel Aviv, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and air corridors narrowed.

Major carriers ground regional service

Air France officially announced a complete halt in all services to Dubai, citing the volatile geopolitical climate. The airliner, in a statement carried by AFP, explained that it is monitoring this situation in real-time to guarantee the safety of its crew and passengers.

Dutch airline KLM simultaneously announced a halt to flights to Tel Aviv, Dubai, Dammam, and Riyadh. The company confirmed to the NOS that it will no longer enter the airspace of Iran, Iraq, or Israel.

Lufthansa Group has adopted a limited schedule where it flies to Israel during the daytime hours while maintaining the ban on Iranian skies. On the other side of the globe, United Airlines and Air Canada have halted all further flights to Israel.

The Trigger: US 'armada' nears the Gulf

The aviation panic is caused primarily by an increase in military buildups, as US President Donald Trump confirms that "a massive naval armada, including an aircraft carrier and its accompanying destroyer ships," led by "the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group," is making its way to the Persian Gulf.

"We have a large number of ships sailing in that direction just in case," the president said to journalists, citing the deployment as "precautionary force action against Iran." This follows a period of great civil uprising in the Islamic republic, to which the US government has noted its concern at the manner in which the regime seeks to quell the uprising.

Airspace closures and missile threats

Urgent warnings have already been sounded by various aviation safety organisations regarding the potential disruption of civil air services by the presence of missiles and unmanned aircraft. The memory of past disruptions is still fresh in minds; last week Iran closed down its entire airspace due to fear of imminent strikes by the US, resulting in a series of delays worldwide.

Now, the airlines have to contend with a logistical nightmare to circumnavigate Iran and Iraq, which are used as primary routes for flights that ferry from Europe to Asia.

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