Air travel across parts of the Gulf and wider Middle East faced fresh turbulence this week as at least 18 flights operated by carriers including Airblue, Akasa Air, Saudia, Pegasus Airlines and Qatar Airways were cancelled, with multiple additional services delayed at some of the region’s busiest hubs.

Disruptions at airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Tehran have left passengers facing long queues, missed connections and last-minute itinerary changes at a time when demand for regional and connecting traffic remains high.

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Wave of Cancellations Hits Key Gulf and Iranian Gateways

Data compiled from airport operations and airline schedules for Thursday and Friday show a concentrated wave of cancellations affecting routes into and out of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran. A total of 18 flights operated by a mix of regional and international carriers were scrapped, while a larger number experienced significant departure or arrival delays.

Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport, which together handle tens of millions of passengers annually as global transit hubs, reported a cluster of cancelled and delayed services involving Pakistan-based Airblue, Pakistan International Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines on South Asian routes, as well as services linked to Iran and Turkey. In Jeddah, at King Abdulaziz International Airport, low-cost newcomer Akasa Air and Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier Saudia were among those forced to cancel or hold flights.

In Tehran, Imam Khomeini International Airport saw some of the heaviest disruption in this latest episode. Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus and Qatar Airways together accounted for nine cancellations, temporarily thinning direct connectivity between Iran, the Gulf and Turkey. Industry trackers and airport boards indicated that, across the four airports, the disruption pattern pointed to a mix of operational issues and broader regional headwinds rather than a single, clearly defined incident.

Breakdown by Airline: Airblue, Akasa, Saudia, Pegasus and Qatar in Focus

Among the affected airlines, Pakistan-based Airblue saw two of its scheduled services to and from Dubai cancelled, while five additional flights were delayed. Those disruptions represented a substantial share of the carrier’s Dubai schedule for the day, highlighting the vulnerability of smaller regional operators when network irregularities cascade through crew and aircraft rotations.

In Abu Dhabi, Pakistan International Airlines cancelled two flights and delayed one, while US-Bangla Airlines scrapped one flight and delayed another. Both carriers operate relatively limited yet strategically important links to South Asian destinations that are heavily used by expatriate workers and visiting families, magnifying the impact of even short disruptions on travellers with tight work and visa timelines.

In Saudi Arabia, India’s Akasa Air, which has been rapidly expanding its Gulf footprint, saw two departures cancelled out of Jeddah. Saudia experienced fewer outright cancellations on the same day but recorded a large number of delays, with more than twenty flights running behind schedule from King Abdulaziz International Airport according to regional aviation tallies. These knock-on delays affected both domestic and international legs, complicating onward journeys for transit passengers.

The most concentrated cancellations occurred in Tehran, where Pegasus Airlines cancelled six services and Qatar Airways three, temporarily scaling back links between Iran and two of the region’s most important connecting hubs in Istanbul and Doha. While the overall numbers are small compared with pre-pandemic traffic volumes, the cancellations are notable because they touch multiple carriers and national jurisdictions at once, underscoring the fragility of regional aviation networks when exposed to simultaneous operational and political pressures.

Operational Strain and Regional Tensions Add to Volatility

Airlines and airport officials have cited a mix of operational factors and wider security considerations behind the current disruptions. Some services were grounded or delayed by aircraft rotation issues, late inbound arrivals and crew rest requirements that forced last-minute schedule adjustments. Others were affected by congestion at already busy terminals, with ground-handling capacity stretched during peak travel waves.

However, the flight cuts also come against a backdrop of heightened instability around Iran and intermittent airspace restrictions over parts of the region. Over recent weeks and months, major Gulf carriers have periodically suspended or curtailed flights to certain Iranian destinations, citing safety considerations tied to regional tensions, protest movements inside Iran and changing risk assessments for overflight routes. In parallel, authorities in Tehran have at times imposed internet and communications curbs that complicate real-time coordination between airlines, local handlers and air-traffic control systems.

Industry analysts note that these overlapping factors have combined to produce what some describe as “rolling fragility” in Middle Eastern flight schedules. Even when large-scale suspensions such as those involving Emirates and flydubai are not directly in effect on a given day, any renewed bout of instability or infrastructure strain can quickly translate into clusters of cancellations involving a more diverse set of carriers, including secondary regional airlines like Airblue and US-Bangla alongside global brands such as Saudia and Qatar Airways.

Passenger Experience: Long Queues, Missed Connections and Limited Alternatives

For passengers caught up in the latest round of cancellations and delays, the effects were immediate and highly disruptive. At Dubai International and Abu Dhabi International, travellers reported lining up for hours at check-in desks and transfer counters as airline staff sought to rebook them on later flights or alternative routes. In some cases, same-day options were unavailable, forcing passengers either to accept overnight hotel accommodation or to re-route through entirely different cities at short notice.

In Jeddah, where Akasa Air and Saudia cancellations intersected with a busy travel period, passengers with onward connections to India and other Asian destinations faced particular challenges. With many flights operating at or near capacity, spare seats for re-accommodation were limited. Families and workers on tight schedules found themselves renegotiating hotel bookings and ground transport plans as departure times slipped by several hours.

At Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, cancelled Pegasus and Qatar Airways services disrupted travel for Iranians and expatriates using Istanbul and Doha as gateways to Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. For many of these travellers, those hubs represent critical connecting points, and the loss of just a handful of flights can strand passengers mid-journey, especially when communications constraints make it difficult to receive timely updates via mobile apps or text messages.

Major Hubs Under Pressure: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Tehran

The disruptions also highlight the pressure on the four main airports at the heart of the latest setback. Dubai International remains one of the world’s busiest hubs by international passenger numbers, with a complex daily ballet of connections depending on precise on-time performance. Even a minor spike in delays for smaller carriers can contribute to congestion at gates, security checkpoints and immigration, as passengers bunch into tight time windows waiting for newly assigned departure slots.

Abu Dhabi International, which is pursuing its own hub strategy through Etihad Airways and a growing roster of foreign carriers, is similarly sensitive to irregular operations. The cancellations involving Pakistan International Airlines and US-Bangla came as Abu Dhabi continues to position itself as a key transit point between Asia, Europe and Africa. When flights serving labor and family visitation markets falter, the human impact can be significant, particularly for travellers with limited financial buffers to absorb unexpected extra nights or rebooking fees.

In Jeddah, King Abdulaziz International Airport plays a dual role as a regional gateway and the principal air entry point for religious travel related to Umrah and Hajj. While the current disruptions are not tied to a pilgrimage peak, cancellations by Akasa Air and delays affecting Saudia nonetheless reverberate in a network where seasonal traffic patterns can intensify strain on infrastructure and staffing.

Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, meanwhile, has operated under varying degrees of international constraint for years, but it remains an important hub for connecting Iranian travellers to the wider world via foreign carriers. The loss, even temporarily, of multiple links through Istanbul and Doha underscores how swiftly Iran’s external connectivity can narrow when geopolitical or internal security developments prompt foreign airlines to pare back their schedules.

Airlines’ Response and Communication Challenges

Several of the affected carriers issued statements emphasizing that passenger and crew safety remain their overriding priorities, while apologizing for the inconvenience caused. Saudia and Qatar Airways reiterated that they continually review routes in light of evolving security assessments and international aviation guidance, stressing that any decision to cancel or significantly delay a flight is taken only after what they describe as rigorous risk evaluation.

Smaller airlines such as Airblue and US-Bangla have leaned more heavily on operational explanations, citing aircraft availability, crew duty-time limits and inbound delays from previous sectors. In practice, aviation experts say these operational triggers can be indirectly linked to broader disruptions in the regional network when aircraft and crews are forced into longer routings to avoid restricted airspace or congested corridors.

Communication with passengers remains a persistent pain point. Although many carriers rely on mobile apps, email and SMS alerts to inform customers of changes, not all travellers have reliable data access while transiting, and sudden cancellations that occur close to departure time can outpace automated notification systems. In airports such as Tehran, where authorities have at times curtailed internet access nationwide, airlines have been forced to fall back on more traditional methods, including public announcements and printed departure-board updates, which can lead to confusion in crowded terminals.

Guidance for Travellers Navigating Continued Uncertainty

With regional airspace conditions and local security dynamics still in flux, aviation analysts and consumer groups are advising travellers to build greater flexibility into their plans when flying through Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah or Tehran in the coming days. That includes leaving longer connection windows, especially when itineraries involve multiple carriers on separate tickets, and considering refundable or changeable fares where budgets allow.

Passengers are also being urged to monitor flight status closely in the 24 to 48 hours before departure through airline apps and airport information pages, and to ensure that booking profiles include up-to-date contact details. Travellers whose flights are cancelled at short notice are generally entitled to rebooking on the next available service with the same carrier, although accommodation and compensation policies vary widely by airline and jurisdiction.

Consumer advocates note that, in the current climate, even airlines not directly engaged in suspending routes to higher-risk destinations can be affected by knock-on effects, such as rerouted traffic, airspace bottlenecks and staffing constraints. For that reason, they say, travellers should avoid assuming that any single carrier or airport is entirely insulated from disruptions when regional tensions rise.

Outlook: Fragile Recovery Meets a Volatile Region

The latest disruptions come as Middle Eastern aviation continues to rebuild capacity after the pandemic while simultaneously navigating a more volatile geopolitical landscape. Carriers based in the Gulf have largely restored or surpassed pre-2020 schedules on many long-haul routes, betting on sustained demand for connecting traffic between Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas. Yet that recovery has coincided with a series of conflicts and internal crises that periodically reshape the risk profile of specific air corridors.

Industry observers expect that, barring a major escalation, the immediate impact of the 18 cancellations and associated delays will be limited to short-term inconvenience rather than a prolonged shutdown of routes. However, they also warn that such incidents are likely to recur as long as geopolitical tensions, domestic unrest and infrastructure constraints intersect in critical aviation markets such as Iran, Iraq and neighboring states.

For travellers, the upshot is a landscape in which regional connectivity remains broadly available but subject to sudden and sometimes dramatic change. For airlines and airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Tehran, the challenge will be to maintain service reliability and passenger confidence in an environment where the next test of the system may arrive with little warning.