Iran Vs Israel: Nigerians Stranded As Airlines Cancel Middle East Flights

Nigerians travelling to or from Qatar, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have been stranded following escalating hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran.

Naija News reports that the crisis has forced several international carriers, including Air France, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algerie, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Lufthansa, to announce mass flight cancellations.

The disruption followed airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets, after which Iran launched retaliatory attacks on US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, among others.

Passengers scheduled to travel outbound from Nigeria via Qatar Airways were stopped from flying on Saturday morning.

Some passengers who had already boarded a Qatar Airways flight told Sunday Punch that they were later asked to disembark after the airline announced that Doha’s airspace had been closed.

“I had planned so many things around this trip. Suddenly, they announced that the airport in Doha is not responding, and honestly, I don’t even understand what that means. I’m wondering if they can reroute us through another destination without passing through Doha. This situation is really painful,” one passenger said.

Another traveller added, “With this development, only God knows when my sister will be able to return to school. We understand this is a genuine situation, but it is really painful.”

It was gathered that to a large extent, flights across several Middle Eastern countries were cancelled on Saturday as airspaces were shut amid ongoing attacks and counterattacks.

Qatar Airways Group, in a statement, announced a temporary suspension of flights due to the closure of Qatari airspace.

“The safety of our passengers and employees is always our highest priority, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused,” the airline said.

Air India also suspended flights to all destinations in the Middle East.

“In view of the developing situation in parts of the Middle East, all Air India flights to all destinations in the Middle East have been suspended,” the airline said via its 𝕏 account.

Kuwait closed its airspace, while Syria reportedly shut part of its southern airspace along its border with Israel for 12 hours.

Russia’s air transport authority, Rosaviatsia, announced the cancellation of all commercial flights to Israel and Iran until further notice.

The Chairman of the International Airlines Operators Committee, Damilola Ogunyeye, confirmed that outbound airlines had begun cancelling flights following the airspace closures.

He stated, “It is an unfortunate situation that we have currently in the world; more trouble to travel experience and people will start having less confidence in safety in their travel via air.

“As we all know, in the sky there is no parking space when things happen, so it’s quite sad, but we only hope that things will soon come back to normal.

“Today, Qatar cancelled, Emirates cancelled because they don’t want to take any risk and in aviation, safety comes first. We don’t take risks, not even when we don’t know how much things can escalate.”

The President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agents, Yinka Folami, also confirmed that passengers had been turned back.

“Yes, airlines have started turning passengers back home. Just this morning, Qatar Airways asked passengers to disembark and return home because the airspaces have been shut. There are dangers in the airspace and you know safety is most paramount in aviation,” he said.

FAAN Issues Advisory

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria on Saturday warned that the ongoing restrictions were affecting international flight operations to and from Nigeria.

According to FAAN, several scheduled flights linking Nigerian airports with Middle Eastern destinations have been cancelled or delayed as airlines adjust routes to avoid conflict zones.

The agency said, “Passengers affected by these disruptions are strongly advised to contact their respective airlines directly for up-to-date information on flight status, rebooking options and further guidance.

“FAAN continues to monitor the situation in collaboration with relevant aviation authorities and airline operators and will provide updates as necessary. We regret the inconvenience and appreciate the understanding and cooperation of the travelling public.”

The hostilities began after the United States and Israel struck multiple locations across Iran, including Tehran, in what US President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations.”

Iran has since retaliated with missile attacks targeting northern Israel and US military bases in the region, further heightening tensions and disrupting global travel.