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Etihad announced this evening that all flights to and from Abu Dhabi are on hold until at least 2 PM on Tuesday (9 PM AEDT).
Emirates has also halted its flights to and from Dubai, with operations set to resume no earlier than 3 PM on Tuesday (10 PM AEDT).
Qatar Airways, meanwhile, plans to provide an update regarding its services at 9 AM on Tuesday (4 PM AEDT).
The recent joint military operation conducted by the US and Israel on Saturday, followed by retaliatory actions from Iran, has led to significant disruptions in critical travel corridors.
As the conflict has expanded with attacks on nearby countries, airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, including the heavily trafficked Dubai International Airport, have been forced to cease operations due to direct strikes.
Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, said it was hard to calculate the number of travellers stranded worldwide.
However, it estimated that at least 90,000 people alone change flights daily in the airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi on just three airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways.
Airspace or airports in Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE were closed, according to flight tracking sites and government agencies there.
More than 2800 flights were cancelled on Sunday to and from airports across the Middle East, including those that remained open in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt, according figures on flight tracking site FlightAware. International airports in London, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangkok, Istanbul, Sri Lanka and Paris each reported dozens of flights cancelled, as well.
– Reported with Associated Press
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