Pakistanis Stranded in Dubai as Middle East Airspace Closures Disrupt Thousands of Flights

Hundreds of thousands of passengers including many Pakistanis were stranded at Dubai International Airport after US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory missile attacks and forced the shutdown of major airspace across the Middle East.

Several countries including Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates closed their skies within hours of the escalation, disrupting one of the world’s most heavily used aviation corridors.

UAE authorities confirmed that an incident took place at Dubai International Airport, prompting an immediate emergency response. Four people were injured and were provided urgent medical treatment.

Residents across parts of Dubai reported hearing loud explosions over more than a day, as air defence systems intercepted aerial threats. Some families living in high-rise towers temporarily relocated to lower-level homes as a precaution.

Damage was also reported at key infrastructure sites in Dubai, including areas near Jebel Ali port. Similar disruption unfolded at Hamad International Airport, where large numbers of passengers were left awaiting updates on cancelled or delayed departures.

Pakistani travellers were among those initially held inside the airport for extended periods, with visa-on-arrival facilities not immediately granted to many Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. They have since been moved to nearby hotels, but there has been no official indication of when outbound flights to Pakistan will resume.

Some stranded passengers were en route to perform Umrah in Saudi Arabia, while others had planned to travel to Pakistan for Eid in the next few days. Ongoing airspace restrictions and security concerns have left their plans uncertain.

The regional disruption has rippled across global aviation. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, nearly a quarter of flights scheduled to land in Middle Eastern destinations on Saturday were cancelled. When outbound services are included, cancellations rose to more than 1,800 flights. On Sunday, hundreds more flights to the region were scrapped out of over 4,000 scheduled services.

Flight monitoring service FlightAware reported that by late Saturday more than 18,000 flights worldwide had been delayed, with over 2,350 cancelled.

Airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, said travellers should brace for further disruption in the coming days as the situation evolves.

Carriers operating routes through the Middle East are now diverting aircraft around closed airspace, with many flights rerouted south over Saudi Arabia. These longer paths increase flight times and fuel consumption, adding operational costs for airlines. Analysts warn that if tensions persist, ticket prices may begin to rise as carriers absorb higher expenses.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, has been confirmed dead by Iranian state media following joint United States-Israel strikes, with Tehran vowing an even stronger response to the attacks, making flight statuses more unclear for now.

With no clear timeline for a full reopening of regional skies, thousands of Pakistanis remain caught in uncertainty as airlines struggle to restore normal operations across a volatile region.