Civil air traffic in the Middle East has been drastically disrupted starting today, June 13, 2025, following a series of large-scale airstrikes conducted by Israel against Iran. In the early hours today, over 100 military and nuclear sites in Iran were targeted by Israeli forces, triggering a chain reaction that rendered large portions of the region’s airspace unusable.

Due to this escalation, the airspaces of Israel, Iran, Iraq, and Jordan have been closed to commercial traffic. The flight tracking website "Flightradar24" displayed an unusual picture for June 13, with these typically busy areas completely devoid of aircraft. A short video shared by the platform graphically highlighted the absence of flights, emphasizing the immediate impact of the situation.

The closure of these routes has had significant repercussions on the global aviation sector. Eastern Iraq, in particular, represents one of the busiest air corridors in the world, a crucial hub for dozens of flights connecting Europe to the Gulf and Asia to Europe. Consequently, numerous airlines have had to cancel their flights transiting this area (see AVIONEWS 1 and 2).

Among the first to respond, Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, announced the cancellation of flights to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran. In an official statement, the carrier specified that eight connections would be interrupted on June 13, 2025, followed by four flight cancellations each on June 14 and 15, 2025.

Also, the Israeli flag carrier El Al communicated today the suspension of all its flights and those of its subsidiary Sun D'Or International Airlines due to the closure of Israeli airspace. The air company’s note indicated that new bookings for flights departing until June 30, 2025, inclusive, had been blocked pending greater clarity on the security situation and to reorganize solutions for passengers with cancelled flights.

Simultaneously, Air India announced the cancellation of 16 scheduled flights that would have crossed Iranian airspace, citing passenger safety reasons and emphasizing efforts to minimize “this unforeseen disruption".

Qatar Airways also announced a temporary suspension of flights to Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Regarding Iran, the affected airports include "Imam Khomeini" (IKA), Mashhad (MHD), and Shiraz (SYZ). In Iraq, cancellations involved Baghdad (BGW), Erbil (EBL), Basra (BSR), Sulaymaniyah (ISU), and Najaf (NJF). The airline further specified that flights to Damascus Airport (DAM) in Syria would be suspended until June 14, 2025, inclusive.

Finally, ITA Airways, as part of the Lufthansa Group, announced via a message on "X" the decision to suspend flights to and from Tel Aviv. This suspension has been extended until July 31, including flights AZ809 and AZ815 scheduled for August 1.