Middle East and transatlantic air travel are again feeling the strain as a fresh round of flight cancellations ripples across key routes. On February 11, 2026, at least 20 flights operated by Flydubai, Emirates, Lufthansa, United Airlines, Saudia and Royal Jordanian were canceled or heavily disrupted, affecting travel to and from Frankfurt, Minsk, Kuwait, Jeddah, Newark, Tel Aviv and other hubs. The latest wave of changes comes on top of weeks of rolling delays and suspensions tied to regional tensions and airspace restrictions, leaving passengers grappling with missed connections, last-minute rebookings and shifting travel advisories.
What Happened: A Snapshot of the Latest Cancellations
The newest disruptions form part of a broader pattern of cancellations across the Middle East and adjoining regions. On February 11, aviation industry tracking pointed to dozens of cancellations and more than a thousand delays across the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Türkiye, with Flydubai, Saudia, Royal Jordanian and other regional carriers at the center of the turbulence. Dubai, Amman, Cairo, Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Dammam, Kuwait City and Istanbul all reported stalled departures and revised schedules as airlines scrambled to adapt operations.
Within this wider picture, at least 20 flights operated by Flydubai, Emirates, Lufthansa, United, Saudia and Royal Jordanian were either canceled outright or reworked in ways that severely disrupted passengers’ plans. While the exact mix of affected flights has shifted through the day as airlines updated schedules, the cancellations clustered around services linking Gulf and Levant hubs with key European and North American gateways, including Frankfurt, Minsk, Kuwait, Jeddah, Newark and Tel Aviv. Many of the adjustments involved flights that traverse or skirt contested airspace or rely on congested alternative corridors.
The timing of the latest cancellations is no coincidence. They follow several recent episodes in which Western and regional airlines pared back services to Israel, Gulf capitals and nearby destinations in response to security warnings, drone attacks and temporary airspace closures. Across January and early February, carriers such as Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, British Airways, United and others frequently suspended or truncated services to Tel Aviv, Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman, while avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace. The result has been an unusually fragile flight network, where a single new advisory or airspace bulletin can force a cascade of last-minute cancellations.
How Each Airline Is Affected: From Flydubai to United
Flydubai has been one of the most exposed carriers in the latest disruptions, due in part to its dense network spanning Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and the wider region. In earlier rounds of turmoil, the airline suspended services to several destinations including Minsk and key points in Iran and Israel. In mid-2025, Flydubai confirmed widespread schedule changes after airspace closures over Iran and Israel, with routes to Minsk and St Petersburg among those affected. Although some services later resumed in daylight-only windows, the network has remained vulnerable to renewed flare-ups and regulatory constraints, and the current wave of cancellations again hits routes in and out of Eastern Europe and the Levant.
Emirates has also made repeated adjustments to its operations, especially on services touching Israel and conflict-adjacent corridors. In previous disruptions, the airline halted or modified flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, as well as services crossing Iranian and Iraqi airspace. More recently, Emirates has joined other UAE carriers in temporarily suspending or rerouting flights to multiple destinations across the Middle East and Caucasus after security incidents and military actions triggered fresh airspace closures. On days like February 11, Emirates’ long-haul passengers can see knock-on impacts in the form of missed onward connections to Europe and North America when a single regional leg is canceled.
European carrier Lufthansa has been operating a more conservative schedule in the region since earlier crises, repeatedly suspending flights to Tehran and restricting services to Israel and parts of the Levant to specific time windows. In several previous security spikes, Lufthansa canceled flights to Tel Aviv and Amman, rerouted around Iranian and Iraqi airspace and eliminated overnight layovers for crews. As a result, days of heightened tension such as February 11 often see Lufthansa frequencies to Frankfurt and other European hubs trimmed or compressed, with selected flights to or from Tel Aviv and connecting Middle Eastern cities canceled outright.
For United Airlines, the most visible impact has been on the airline’s transatlantic services linking the United States to Israel and Jordan. In earlier rounds of regional disruption, United canceled flights from Newark to Tel Aviv and from Washington Dulles to Amman when Israeli airspace was temporarily closed and overflight permissions tightened. The cancellations came shortly after United had only just resumed service to Tel Aviv, underscoring how volatile and fragile these routes have become. When regional tensions rise and warnings intensify, United has tended to opt for short-notice cancellations rather than risk extended delays or extended diversions, hitting passengers who rely on nonstop links between the US and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Key Routes Hit: Frankfurt, Minsk, Kuwait, Jeddah, Newark, Tel Aviv and Beyond
The current wave of disruption is especially painful because it affects several high-traffic routes that link regional hubs to major global gateways. Frankfurt, for example, serves as a pivotal connecting point for passengers flying between the Middle East and Europe or North America via Lufthansa and its partners. When Lufthansa trims or cancels services into the region, passengers bound for Frankfurt not only lose their direct flights but may also miss onward connections deeper into Europe or across the Atlantic.
Minsk is another notable flashpoint. Flydubai had previously suspended flights to the Belarusian capital in response to broader regional tensions and airspace complications. When these flights are canceled, travelers in both directions lose a relatively rare direct link between the Gulf and Eastern Europe, forcing re-routing through alternative hubs such as Istanbul, Dubai or Warsaw. Given the limited frequency of services on this corridor, a single cancellation can translate into a full day’s delay or an overnight stay for affected passengers.
Within the Gulf, Kuwait and Jeddah stand out as key nodes under pressure. Operational data from recent days shows Kuwait City and Jeddah among the airports reporting elevated numbers of delays and cancellations as regional carriers adjust to congested airways and shifting advisories. Since both cities serve as important regional connectors for Saudia and other airlines, cancellations on routes to and from these hubs can reverberate across domestic Saudi networks and connecting services onward to Asia, Africa and Europe.
On the long-haul side, Newark and Tel Aviv have again become focal points of disruption. Newark’s role as a major US gateway for United’s transatlantic network means that canceled flights to Tel Aviv or Amman ripple backward onto domestic US itineraries. Tel Aviv, for its part, remains one of the most disrupted destinations in the region, as multiple Western and regional airlines continue to pause or reshape services in response to security alerts and airspace closures. For travelers, this combination often manifests as last-minute cancellations, extended layovers in Europe or the Gulf, and a patchwork of rerouted itineraries stitched together at short notice.
Why This Is Happening: Security Tensions and Airspace Restrictions
Behind the list of canceled flights lies a familiar driver: security tensions and the resulting constraints on regional airspace. Over the past year, a series of drone attacks, missile incidents and high-profile military escalations involving Iran, Israel and other regional actors have led authorities to periodically close or restrict airspace over Iran, Israel, Iraq and neighboring territories. Each time this happens, airlines must rapidly reconfigure routings to avoid affected zones, often adding hours to flight times or rendering certain services unviable.
Regulators in Europe and elsewhere have also issued safety bulletins warning of the risk of misidentification of civil aircraft in high-tension environments. These advisories have pushed many Western carriers to avoid flying over certain corridors altogether, even when they remain technically open. The result is a funneling of traffic into a smaller number of alternative routes through the eastern Mediterranean and Arabian Peninsula, producing congestion, longer flying times and tighter margins on fuel and crew duty limits.
For regional carriers such as Flydubai, Saudia and Royal Jordanian, the challenge is even more acute. Their business models depend on stitching together relatively short sectors across a complex patchwork of neighboring states. When large swaths of airspace become unavailable at short notice, airlines are forced into a constant game of schedule Tetris, juggling departure slots, crew rosters and aircraft rotations in real time. On days of particularly heavy disruption, that process inevitably results in outright cancellations, as aircraft and crews cannot be in two places at once.
In addition to security issues, more routine operational factors have magnified the impact of each new advisory. Winter weather across Europe and parts of the Middle East has contributed to runway closures and de-icing delays, while ongoing staffing constraints at some airports and air traffic control centers have slowed the handling of diverted and rerouted flights. When combined with already tight schedules and high demand, these factors mean that a single closure or incident can have outsized consequences for passengers far beyond the immediate conflict zone.
What This Means for Travelers Right Now
For travelers with upcoming itineraries on Flydubai, Emirates, Lufthansa, United, Saudia or Royal Jordanian, the latest flight cancellations underscore the importance of active trip management. Same-day or overnight schedule changes are not confined to routes directly serving Tel Aviv or conflict-adjacent airports. Flights that merely overfly affected regions or rely on back-to-back aircraft utilization can also be canceled or retimed when airspace restrictions or security alerts are issued.
Passengers booked through major hubs such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Jeddah, Riyadh or Newark should be prepared for longer-than-usual connection windows and the possibility of missed onward flights. Even when a carrier maintains service to a destination, re-routing around restricted airspace can add significant flying time, pushing arrivals beyond the buffer originally built into itineraries. This, in turn, can affect everything from ground transfers and hotel reservations to meeting schedules and tour departures.
Another practical consequence is a rise in airport congestion and customer service bottlenecks. As cancellations mount, rebooking desks and call centers become overwhelmed, leading to long waits both on the phone and at airport counters. Travelers who are proactive about checking flight status and using airline apps to rebook themselves where possible often find they are able to secure better options than those who wait to be notified. However, rebooking flexibility varies by airline and fare type, and space on alternative flights may be limited during peak disruption windows.
There is also a financial dimension. While airlines typically offer refunds or alternative travel when they cancel a flight, the knock-on costs of extra hotel nights, meals and missed prepaid arrangements may not always be fully covered. Travelers with comprehensive travel insurance, especially policies that explicitly address disruption from war, terrorism or airspace closures, may be better positioned to reclaim incidental expenses. Those without such coverage should keep careful records of receipts and communications in case partial compensation is offered later.
How to Protect Your Trip: Practical Steps Before You Fly
In this environment of rolling disruptions, the most important step for travelers is to stay informed and flexible. Checking your booking the day before departure is no longer sufficient on routes that touch the Middle East or overfly nearby airspace. Instead, monitor your flight status repeatedly from 24 hours before departure right up until you leave for the airport, using both the airline’s official channels and any alerts you can configure through travel apps or your booking platform.
When planning a new itinerary, consider building in additional buffer time, particularly if your journey involves connecting through a hub such as Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt, Istanbul or Jeddah on your way to a final destination. Longer layovers can feel inconvenient, but on days with significant disruptions they may spell the difference between making your connection or spending an unscheduled night in a transit hotel. Where possible, choose itineraries that keep all segments on a single ticket with one airline or alliance, as this generally improves your chances of being rebooked efficiently if one leg is canceled.
It can also be wise to revisit your travel insurance coverage in light of the evolving situation. Policies that provide clear benefits for trip interruption and travel delay, as well as medical coverage in your destination, are particularly valuable when multiple geopolitical and operational risks are in play. Before departure, take a moment to download policy documents and claims instructions, and understand what documentation you will need if your trip is disrupted.
Finally, maintain realistic expectations and a degree of flexibility in your on-the-ground plans. If you are traveling for a time-sensitive event, consider arriving at least a day earlier than strictly necessary to create a cushion against last-minute cancellations. For leisure trips, have a mental or written list of alternative activities and backup plans in case a missed flight shortens your stay or requires a change in your itinerary. In a period when airlines are recalibrating schedules week by week, the most resilient travelers are those who plan for uncertainty from the outset.
Looking Ahead: How Long Could These Disruptions Last?
Predicting an end date for the current pattern of cancellations is difficult, because so much depends on factors beyond the aviation industry’s control. Security tensions in and around the Middle East have tended to ebb and flow rather than resolve definitively, which means airlines and regulators are likely to keep a cautious stance on airspace use for the foreseeable future. Safety bulletins and advisories can be extended or revised with little notice, and carriers will continue to adjust schedules day by day as they balance commercial needs with risk assessments.
That said, airlines have demonstrated a capacity to gradually restore services when conditions allow, often starting with daytime-only operations, limited frequencies or rerouted paths that avoid the most sensitive corridors. Travelers can expect to see a patchwork of resumed and suspended flights over the coming weeks, with some routes returning to near-normal patterns while others remain vulnerable to sudden pauses. Carriers with deep regional experience such as Flydubai, Saudia and Royal Jordanian are likely to be at the forefront of this cautious rebuilding process, while global players such as Emirates, Lufthansa and United may continue to rely on flexible schedules and ad hoc adjustments.
For now, the best approach for would-be travelers is to treat the latest round of cancellations as a reminder rather than a deterrent. Travel to and through the Middle East, as well as on long-haul routes that connect via the region, remains possible and, on many days, proceeds without major incident. But the margin for disruption is smaller than in more stable periods, and the risk of last-minute change is higher. By staying informed, booking thoughtfully and building contingency into your plans, you can navigate this challenging landscape with far less stress, even as airlines and regulators continue to adapt to events on the ground.