Thousands of flights have been disrupted in the wake of the escalating conflict engulfing the Middle East, with Dubai’s main airport — the world’s busiest aviation hub — effectively shut down in light of airspace closures and after it was hit by a suspected aerial strike.
There have been more than 2 300 flight cancellations in the region, from Bahrain to Tel Aviv, in the past day, with more than 90% of departures from Dubai International Airport being scrapped, according to FlightAware data.
Middle Eastern airlines were severely disrupted as of Sunday morning, with Emirates canceling 87% of its scheduled flights and FlyDubai canceling 89%. The cancellation rate at Etihad, Gulf Air and Qatar Airways were 67%, 79% and 36% respectively, according to the data.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been stranded as the region functions as a global superconnector, linking any two points on the planet with one single stop in airports
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