Airlines evacuating travelers from Middle East conflict are scrambling to move passengers as airspace closures cripple regional aviation.

Almost a week after military strikes and missile attacks led to widespread airspace closures in the Middle East, flights in the region are still heavily disrupted. Major airline hubs now have only a few flights, leaving tens of thousands of travelers stranded and forcing airlines, governments, and regulators to come up with new evacuation plans.

For Americans following the situation, there is one major complication: US airlines are not allowed to operate rescue flights into the region at this time.

As a result, foreign airlines, government charter flights, and a few partially reopened airports are handling the huge job of getting travelers out.

Global Aviation Network Suddenly Disrupted

When Operation Epic Fury began, the Middle East’s aviation network effectively seized up overnight. Airspace closures spread across multiple countries as missile strikes and military operations escalated.

Airports in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait are still closed or heavily restricted. This has cut off major routes that international airlines use to connect Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America.

This situation has had a huge impact on global aviation.

According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, an estimated 900,000 airline seats are normally available each day to, from, and within the Middle East. Since the conflict began, roughly 4.4 million seats have been canceled across the region.

Even the biggest airports in the region are running at much lower capacity. Dubai International Airport (DXB), usually one of the world’s busiest, has seen its operations drop sharply since the airspace shutdown began.

Normally, the airport handles about 1,200 flights each day.

Despite the chaos, a limited number of rescue flights are now slowly restoring some movement.

UAE Airlines Lead the Rescue Effort

The United Arab Emirates was the first to make real progress, partly reopening its airspace and setting up special ‘safe corridors’ for flights leaving Dubai (DXB and Al-Maktoum International DWC), Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport (AUH), and Sharjah International Airport (SHJ).

These routes allow a limited number of planes to leave the region while avoiding unsafe areas.

UAE-based airlines were among the first to use these corridors. Emirates, Flydubai, IndiGo, and Etihad Airways started running limited flights to help stranded passengers leave the country.

Since DXB and AUH are usually major international transit hubs, huge numbers of travelers have been stranded there. Airlines have responded by using their largest equipment.

Both Emirates and Etihad have used their Airbus A380s on some flights, allowing them to carry hundreds of passengers at a time. Many of these flights have been heading to European and Asian cities, such as London or Singapore. For many travelers, these flights are just the first step home, as they go on to connect to additional flights once they reach countries with open airspace.

Other airlines have joined in as well. Flight tracking shows that Air India, Air Arabia, Uzbekistan Airways, Kenya Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Flynas, Royal Jordanian, and SpiceJet are all running flights from Dubai back to their home countries.

European Airlines Launch Repatriation Flights

Airlines outside the region are also playing a role in the evacuation effort, particularly in neighboring countries where airports remain operational.

Muscat, Oman, has become one of the main escape routes for travelers leaving the conflict area.

European carriers, including Lufthansa, Swiss, Smartwings, Aegean Airlines, and British Airways, have been operating special repatriation flights from Muscat International Airport (MCT) to bring citizens home.

Some airlines have also tried direct rescue flights from Dubai. Croatia Airlines and Smartwings have run a few flights to evacuate stranded travelers.

However, the security situation has forced airlines to remain cautious. While the frequency of Iranian missile and drone incursions into UAE airspace has decreased, the country is still experiencing intermittent incursions, even as recently as Thursday, 5 March.

Air France announced plans for a repatriation flight from Dubai to Paris, but quickly canceled it because of what the airline called “the ongoing security situation.”

Russian carriers Aeroflot and S7 Airlines have also continued transporting passengers from the region. However, their flights to Moscow are taking significantly longer because aircraft must detour around large sections of restricted airspace.

Even with these flights, there are still not enough seats for everyone who wants to leave.

British Airways said on social media that all of its limited rescue flights for the weekend were already full.

US Airlines Cannot Fly Rescue Missions

While airlines from other countries have started evacuation flights, US carriers have mostly not been involved in the rescue effort.

The reason is regulatory.

US-based airlines cannot operate flights into dangerous airspace without approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

As a result, airlines such as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have instead focused on suspending service and helping reposition crews safely.

United Airlines, which had been operating flights to both Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) in Tel Aviv and DXB, spent several days working to extract its pilots and flight attendants from the region after the conflict escalated.

The Association of Flight Attendants said the military action had placed airline crews “in harm’s way.”

The Air Line Pilots Association said that all United crew members were eventually evacuated from Dubai. Some reportedly traveled across Saudi Arabia by land before taking commercial flights out of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH).

United has now canceled its TLV and DXB flights until at least 11 March. Delta Air Lines has paused its flights between New York JFK and TLV until 22 March.

US Government Organizes Charter Flights

Since US airlines cannot run rescue flights, the US government has stepped in to help stranded citizens.

The US State Department confirmed that charter flights are now being used to evacuate Americans from the region.

One charter flight carrying US citizens departed the Middle East on Wednesday, and officials say additional flights will be added as security conditions allow.

So far, the State Department says nearly 18,000 Americans have returned to the United States since the crisis began. About 7,300 of those travelers received direct government assistance.

Officials say thousands more have made it to Europe or Asia and are continuing their trips home from there.

Americans still in the region are being urged to contact the State Department’s 24-hour emergency task force or sign up online for help.

Officials say that registering helps them find out where citizens are and lets the government quickly notify people when evacuation flights are available.