Rocket attacks close Middle East airports, with more than 34,000 flights cancelled

Thousands stranded as Iranian strikes force airports to close including Dubai and Doha The strikes on Iran on Saturday led to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Tehran has retaliated and, with rocket fire ongoing, disruption is set to continue. Sunday 1 March 2026 14:13, UK 0:18 Share Iran launches retaliatory strikes at targets across Middle East. Why you can trust Sky News Travellers face continued disruption after joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran sparked a retaliatory barrage of missiles across the Middle East. Rocket attacks are keeping major airports closed across the region, including in Dubai , where ​world's busiest international hub remains shut for a second day. Doha, Qatar , which handled 54 million passengers last year, is also affected, with more disruption impacting flights serving Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. Follow live: Tehran seeks revenge for supreme leader's killing All told, departures and arrival boards at Heathrow , Gatwick, and Manchester airports, showed multiple flights serving destinations across seven countries cancelled. More than 3,400 flights were cancelled on Sunday across seven airports in the Middle East, according to flight tracker Flightradar24. And with airports in Qatar and the UAE often used for connecting flights, the disruption could hamper onward travel plans for passengers across the globe. More on Aviation Ex-techno DJ jailed for selling £7m worth of fake plane parts to airlines EasyJet's £5.99 cabin bag price claim is 'misleading', says regulator Boeing knew part in deadly UPS plane crash had failed before, report says Related Topics: Aviation Dubai Gatwick Heathrow Airport Iran Israel Qatar United Arab Emirates Flight delayed or cancelled? These are your rights Aviation analyst Cirium estimates that 90,000 passengers per day are served by Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways at Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha alone. Passengers have already found themselves stranded after multiple Middl...