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GCC targeted by Iranian strikes: Air Arabia extends flight suspension for day 3
According to data shared by a global aviation analytics firm, more than 2,000 inbound flights were cancelled across Gulf and Middle East countries as of 2.30am on Tuesday
- PUBLISHED: Mon 2 Mar 2026, 1:04 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid Israeli, US strikes on Iran for the latest regional developments.]
Sharjah-based Air Arabia on Monday extended flight suspensions until 3 pm on Tuesday, March 3, due to the ongoing military conflict in the region.
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“Due to multiple airspace closures, Air Arabia flights to and from the UAE are temporarily suspended until 3 pm UAE time on Tuesday, March 3,” the budget carrier said in a post on social media platform X.
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Moreover, flights to Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq are suspended until March 4, 2026.
Earlier, Emirates and flydubai also suspended flights until March 3.
Over 2,000 inbound flights cancelled
According to data shared by a global aviation analytics firm, more than 2,000 inbound flights were cancelled across Gulf and Middle East countries as of 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. They account for nearly 50 per cent of all scheduled flights.
“For outbound and inbound arrivals and departures, roughly double the number of flights scheduled/cancelled. Aircraft typically/generally return to their home base every 24 hours,” it said
There are around 900,000 seats per day scheduled to fly to the Middle East from points abroad, and within the Middle East, it said.
“We note that the airspace is closed in many countries of the Middle East, and so the cancellation rate should be 100 per cent (for some countries). However, some airlines have not updated their schedules to officially cancel flights, or have simply not flown the flights,” said Cirium.
