Global airlines suspend flights across Middle East

Global airlines suspended flights across the Middle East on Saturday after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Flight maps showed the airspace over Iran virtually empty as Israel said it struck Iran and the U.S. military initiated a series of strikes against targets in the country. Iran retaliated with a salvo of missiles.

Qatar Airways also announced temporarily suspended its flights to and from Doha due to the Qatari airspace closure on Saturday.

“The airline is working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support impacted passengers and will resume operations when the airspace re-opens. Once usual operations resume, we anticipate delays to our flight schedule,” the airline said in a statement.

The Qatari airline added that it had deployed additional ground staff at the Hamad International Airport and other key airports to assist affected passengers.

“The safety of our passengers and employees is always our highest priority, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused,” it said.