A fresh wave of flight cancellations has hit the Middle East as escalating tensions between the United States and Iran raise fears of a wider military confrontation, forcing major international carriers to suspend or scale back operations across the region.
Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and several other airlines cancelled flights to Israel and key Gulf destinations late Friday, citing a worsening security situation, as per aviation news network Air Live.
The suspensions, many of which extend through the weekend, have stranded thousands of passengers and disrupted regional air connectivity.
Airlines suspend services to Israel, Gulf hubs
According to Air Live, KLM and Air France halted flights not only to Tel Aviv but also to major hubs in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
KLM said it cancelled all overnight flights to Israel and the Gulf through Sunday and remains in “close contact with the government” while reviewing safety conditions.
Lufthansa Group restricted flights to Israel to daytime operations and extended its avoidance of Iranian and Iraqi airspace, while North American carriers United Airlines and Air Canada scrapped scheduled services to Tel Aviv for Friday and Saturday.
As per Times of Israel, Air France and KLM have cancelled flights to Israel, Dubai and Saudi Arabia until at least Sunday due to “security tensions in the region”. Lufthansa Group had already suspended night-time flights to Israel until at least the end of January.
Last week, Iran had temporarily closed its airspace for nearly five hours amid concerns over possible US military action, forcing airlines to cancel, reroute or delay flights. Several carriers, including IndiGo and Air India, had said their international services were impacted, while Lufthansa and ITA Airways confirmed they would bypass Iranian and Iraqi airspace and suspend night flights to Tel Aviv.
Aviation risk groups warned that missile and drone activity in the region posed a serious threat to civil aviation.
US military build-up raises stakes
The flight disruptions come as Washington ramps up its military presence in the Middle East.
The Pentagon has been sending additional US assets into the region, including an aircraft carrier group and thousands of troops, as per news agency AP.
US President Donald Trump has said an American “armada” is heading towards Iran, renewing warnings over Tehran’s handling of protests and its nuclear programme.
“We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won’t have to use it,” US President Donald Trump told reporters, saying the deployment was precautionary.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying destroyers are heading towards the region and are expected to join existing US naval assets in the Persian Gulf and Bahrain.
“We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case… I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them very closely,” Trump told reporters.
Additional US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle jets and military cargo aircraft have also been deployed, while the UK has sent Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar in a defensive role.
Iran protests, disputed death toll
The geopolitical escalation is unfolding against the backdrop of a severe crackdown on protests in Iran.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it has confirmed the deaths of 5,002 people, including 4,714 protesters, during recent demonstrations, while noting that the actual toll could be far higher due to a prolonged internet shutdown, reported news agency AFP.
Iranian authorities have given a much lower official figure of 3,117 deaths, a number rights groups have disputed. HRANA said at least 26,852 people have been arrested, while Norway-based Iran Human Rights warned the final death toll could reach 25,000.
Iran has rejected US claims that pressure from Washington halted planned executions of protesters, with its prosecutor general calling the assertion “completely false”.