KARACHI: Thirty-three passenger planes from various countries including Air India, Turkey, Qatar, Germany, Emirates, and the US have been stranded due to the closure of airspace during the Israel-Iran war.
Several hundred crew members of these planes are also stuck in these countries. Emirates Airline’s Boeing 777, flight EK977, landed at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport from Dubai on June 13, but the return flight was canceled due to the Israeli attack on Iran. Three Turkish low-cost Pegasus Air flights, PC 6624, 1637 and 512, landed at Imam Khomeini Airport from Mersin, Ankara and Istanbul on the same night. Among them, one A321 and two A320 aircraft were unable to return. Turkey’s private Airtel Wing’s Boeing 737 flight T1971 also landed in Tehran from Mersin that night. The MD97 plane of the African country Comoros, flight D1, had arrived in Tehran from Istanbul at Mehrabad Airport but could not return.
Pegasus Air flight PC 6646 also arrived at Tabriz Airport that night. On June 13, Pegasus Air flight PC 524 from Istanbul landed in Shiraz. It could not return. A private plane with American registration is still at Iran’s Sari Airport. Flight QR 436 from Doha arrived at Salmaniya Airport in Iraq on June 13. The Airbus A320 and 321 aircraft were unable to go back. Pegasus Air’s brand new Airbus A321 aircraft, flight PC656, and Turkish Air flight TK802, arrived in Baghdad on June 13 but were unable to return when the war broke out. Five more US-registered planes and helicopters were also unable to depart for their destinations at Baghdad Airport. South African Flight 19 is also stuck in Baghdad. A Boeing 737 aircraft of Iran’s Soufran Air landed at Najaf Airport from Mashhad on June 12, but was unable to return due to the outbreak of war. A brand new A321 aircraft of Turkey’s Pegasus Air, flight PC 820, and a Qatar Air A320 aircraft, flight QR 454, arrived at Erbil Airport in Iraq and were unable to return. A Qatari Leonardo helicopter and a US Army Boeing plane are also stranded at Erbil Airport.
A Gulfstream, EgyptAir Boeing 737 aircraft from the Cayman Islands are also stranded at Jordan’s Aman Sol Airport. A private Iraqi Hawker plane arrived in Amman from Erbil but was unable to return. A small private American plane and a Serbian Piper plane are also at Amman Civil Airport. An Airbus A330 aircraft of Turkish MNG Airlines arrived at Jordan’s Aman Queen Alia Airport as flight MB 197 from Istanbul but was unable to go back. Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft, which arrived from Delhi on May 31 as a flight to Amman Queen Alia Airport in Jordan, suffered a technical fault and is still at the airport. An A320 aircraft of Germany’s Lufthansa Air, an A320 aircraft of Bahrain’s Gulf Air, and an A330 aircraft of Germany’s Discover Air are also present at Aman Queen Alia Airport.
Several major international airlines, including Delta, Air Canada, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar, KLM, and Swiss, have been forced to suspend or adjust flights due to the ongoing geopolitical unrest. With airspace closures, security concerns, and the safety of passengers and crew as top priorities, these airlines have made bold decisions to cancel or reroute services. This has caused widespread disruptions in global travel, impacting routes across the Middle East and beyond, as airlines respond to the ever-evolving crisis.
The escalating tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran have significantly disrupted global aviation, with a growing number of airlines suspending, canceling, or rerouting flights in response to the volatile situation. As airspace closures and safety concerns intensify, travelers are faced with substantial changes in flight schedules. Key international airlines, including Delta, Air Canada, Emirates, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, KLM, and Swiss, have made sweeping decisions to ensure the safety of their passengers.
Airlines from the US, UK, Canada, France and other countries have cancelled 52 Emirates flights due to serious security concerns. Of the cancelled flights, 32 are from Dubai and 20 are from Abu Dhabi Airport.
