Flights from Edinburgh to the Middle East were cancelled on Saturday after airspace across the region was shut down following US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks. A Qatar Airways plane already in the air over Europe turned back to Edinburgh rather than continue to Doha.
Qatar Airways flight QR003 to Doha, scheduled to depart Edinburgh at 14:20, was cancelled outright. Emirates flight EK024 from Edinburgh to Dubai, due to depart at 20:55, was also grounded. Both airlines suspended all operations to and from their hub airports after Qatari and Emirati airspace was closed.
Qatar Airways said it had implemented a “temporary suspension of its flights to, and from, Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace” and committed to assisting affected passengers when operations resume. Emirates confirmed it had “temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai” due to multiple regional airspace closures, offering passengers rebooking, refunds, or alternative arrangements.
The disruption extended far beyond Edinburgh. At least eight countries declared their airspace closed as the conflict erupted: Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE. Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, halted flights indefinitely. More than 1,800 flights in and out of the Middle East were cancelled on Saturday alone, with a further 1,400 cancelled for Sunday. Euronews reported that 19,000 flights were delayed across the wider region.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issued updated travel warnings against travel to Israel and Palestine. Anyone with flights booked to the Middle East from Edinburgh or any other Scottish airport in the coming days should check directly with their airline before heading to the airport. This situation is changing by the hour, and there is no indication yet of when normal service will resume.