Global air travel remains heavily disrupted in one of the sharpest aviation shocks in recent years as the US, Israel operation against Iran continues.

Key ‌transit airports, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Doha in Qatar, are shut or severely restricted as much of the region’s airspace remained closed.

The ripple effects ‌have been felt far beyond the Middle East, with tens of thousands of passengers stranded as far as Bali, Kathmandu and Frankfurt.

Dubai International Airport was damaged in Iran’s attacks, while airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit.

Emirates, the world’s largest international carrier, said it had suspended all operations to and from its Dubai megahub until Monday.

Qatar Airways, which has suspended all operations, said it would provide a ‌further update on Monday and ‌Germany’s Lufthansa extended its suspension of flights ⁠to the region to March 8.

Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar remained virtually empty, maps by Flightradar24 showed.

The flight-tracking ​service said that a pilot bulletin had extended the closure of Iranian airspace until at least Tuesday morning, though regional airline sources said there was no certainty how long the conflict-related turmoil would continue.

Dubai International Airport sustained damage during Iran’s attacks. Photo: AAP

The Gulf is also a major intersection for air cargo, putting further pressure on trade lanes on top of disruption at sea.

Airline executives have said crew and pilots are scattered across the world, complicating the complex process ⁠of resuming flights when airspace reopens.

At Frankfurt airport ​on Sunday morning, Australia-bound ‌Lara Haenseler from Bochum, Germany, was trying to rebook after her flight to Dubai was cancelled.

“The phone hotline is completely overloaded. We can’t reach anyone,” she said.

In Bali, long queues snaked through I Gusti Ngurah Rai International ​Airport as passengers waited to speak to airline staff.

About 4000 flights had been due to land in the region on Sunday, analytics firm Cirium said.

The UAE’s civil aviation authority said that it had assisted ​about ​20,200 travellers on Saturday.

“It’s the sheer volume of people and the complexity,” British aviation analyst John Strickland said.

“It is not only customers, it is the crews and aircraft all over place.”

Airlines across Europe, Asia and the Middle East cancelled or rerouted flights to avoid closed or restricted airspace, lengthening journeys and driving up fuel costs.

The disruption has been intensified by the loss of Iranian and Iraqi overflight routes, which had grown more important since the Russia-Ukraine war forced airlines to avoid both countries’ airspace.

Limited options for Aussies in Iran

Australians in Iran are being warned there are limited options to help them get out as uncertainty prevails.

Australia has upgraded its travel warnings for Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE to do not travel.

There was already a do-not-travel warning for Iran. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had warned consular assistance was limited after Australia withdrew its ambassador from Tehran in 2025, when it also expelled the Iranian ambassador in Canberra.

“That has meant that our possibilities are restricted of what we can achieve but we will continue to engage,” Albanese said.

He urged Australians in the region seeking assistance to register with the Foreign Affairs Department, saying officials would contact those registered.

Advice to travellers

Australian Travel Industry Association chief executive Dean Long warned travellers transiting through the Gulf to expect delays and rerouting “for the foreseeable future”.

“The sheer volume of the backlog, estimated at over 200,000 stranded passengers globally, will take weeks, not days, to fully clear,” he said.

He warned Australians not to cancel flights, even to nations upgraded to do-not-travel warnings.

“Let the airline or tour operator make that call; if they cannot provide the service because it is unsafe, your rights are much better protected,” Long said.

—with AAP