Middle East crisis – dozens of flights canceled

The escalation of the Middle East conflict on February 28 had an immediate consequence – chaos in air traffic: dozens of flights were canceled, and many Romanian tourists were stranded in the region, unable to return home.

How many flights were canceled in Bucharest? ✈️

On Monday, at Otopeni Airport, 35 flights to and from the Middle East were canceled. The affected destinations were:

📍 Tel Aviv – 15 flights

📍 Dubai – 9 flights

📍 Cairo – 4 flights

📍 Doha – 3 flights

📍 Ras Al Khaimah – 3 flights

📍 Amman – 1 flight

Affected airlines:

🔴 HiSky – one of the most affected. Suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai from day one.

🔴 TAROM – temporarily suspended all commercial flights to and from Tel Aviv (February 28 – March 3, 2026). Also operated special repatriation flights from Cairo for stranded Romanians.

🔴 Wizz Air – suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman immediately, until March 7 inclusive.

🔴 FlyDubai – attempted to resume flights to Bucharest, but these were canceled at the last minute.

🔴 Qatar Airways – included in the cancellations on Monday and Tuesday. Flights to Doha remain suspended.

🔴 Animawings – canceled the Bucharest – Tel Aviv flight on March 1, 2026; the aircraft heading to Abu Dhabi was turned back.

🔴 El Al Israel Airlines – canceled 5 Bucharest – Tel Aviv flights (February 28 – March 2).

🔴 Lufthansa – suspended flights to and from Dubai for two days; flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, and Oman until March 7.

🔴 Etihad Airways – stopped all flights to and from Abu Dhabi until Wednesday, March 4 at 14:00 local time.

📅 Tuesday, March 3: the situation did not calm down. Another 28 flights were canceled – 15 departures and 13 arrivals.

📌 Tel Aviv, Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan remained practically inaccessible from Bucharest.

Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) warning ⚠️

MAE recommends avoiding travel to the following countries:

🛑 Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates

If you are already in the region and need assistance, you can contact Romanian authorities via:

📱 WhatsApp – official MAE channel

🌐 econsulat.ro – online assistance portal

📲 “Călătorește Informat” app

☎️ Emergency phone lines

ℹ️ In short: almost all airlines operating routes to the Middle East have suspended or canceled flights. If you have a ticket on any of these routes, check daily whether your flight is still operating.