Travellers stranded as Israel-Iran conflict closes airspace, disrupts flights worldwide — SA airports affected

Thousands of travellers across the globe were left stranded on Sunday as escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran triggered the biggest disruption to global air travel since the Covid-19 pandemic, with the fallout being felt at key South African airports. The conflict intensified after US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted retaliatory attacks, including reported strikes near major aviation hubs. In response, several Middle Eastern countries — including Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Syria and the United Arab Emirates — announced partial or full airspace closures, bringing civilian air traffic across the region to an abrupt halt.

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, and Doha, key global transit hubs, were among those severely affected. Flight tracking site FlightAware reported more than 6,700 delays and 1,900 cancellations globally by Sunday morning, adding to thousands more disruptions the day before. Major carriers including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, Turkish Airlines and Air India suspended or cancelled services across the region.

The ripple effects are now being felt in South Africa. Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) confirmed that the closure of United Arab Emirates airspace has disrupted key Gulf-operated routes connecting South Africa to Europe, Asia and North America. Tambo International Airport (JNB): Eight cancellations — seven outbound and one inbound Cape Town International Airport (CPT): Four outbound cancellations King Shaka International Airport (DUR): Two outbound cancellations