8 int’l flights at MCIA affected by Middle East tension

Local

By Kaiser Jan Fuentes

CEBU'S main gateway recorded eight international flight disruptions over three days as escalating tensions in the Middle East prompted several global carriers to suspend or reroute services.

A representative of Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority said a total of eight flights were affected at Mactan-Cebu International Airport from February 28 to March 2, covering both arrivals and departures.

Two flights operated by Qatar Airways were affected on Feb. 28.

On March 1, two flights of Emirates were disrupted, while by March 2, four more flights involving Qatar Airways and Emirates were affected.

The airport authority said it could only release the number

of flights impacted and not the number of passengers due to the airlines’ data privacy policies.

They urged all affected overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to seek assistance at the OFW Facilitation Center at Terminal 2 Arrivals or at the OWWA and DMW kiosks at Terminal 2 Departures.

The disruptions followed a series of airspace closures and flight suspensions across the Middle East and parts of Europe.

The United Arab Emirates partially and temporarily closed its airspace, while Russia’s Ministry of Transport suspended flights to Iran and Israel.

Germany’s Lufthansa suspended flights to and from Dubai for the weekend and halted its Tel Aviv, Beirut and Oman routes until March 7.

Air France canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut.

Spain’s Iberia scrapped flights to Tel Aviv, while Wizz Air suspended services to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman.

Kuwait’s aviation authority halted all flights to Iran until further notice, and Oman Air suspended all flights to Baghdad.

Qatar Airways halted air traffic temporarily as a precaution.

Major Middle East carriers Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad serve about 90,000 passengers daily, highlighting the scale of the disruption.

“We are actively monitoring the situation, engaging with relevant authorities, and adjusting our operations in line with the latest developments. Emirates adheres to all regulatory requirements and follows guidance issued by aviation authorities,” Dubai carrier Emirates said in a statement.

The Dubai government posted on X that passengers must not travel to the airport “at this time.”

Dubai International Airport sustained minor damage following an Iranian attack that injured four people.

Authorities said the damage was “minor” and the incident was “quickly contained.” Abu Dhabi International Airport was also struck, leaving one person dead and seven others injured, airport management confirmed on social media.

“Guests scheduled to travel on Virgin Australia services between Australia and Doha in the coming days are advised to closely monitor their flight information,” the airline said in a statement.

London-based publication The Guardian cited aviation analytics company Cirium as reporting that 966 of 4,218 flights scheduled to land in Middle Eastern countries on Saturday were canceled. For Sunday, 716 out of 4,329 scheduled flights were canceled.

Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that more than 18,000 flights were delayed globally and over 2,350 were canceled as of Saturday night.

Airlines diverted aircraft around Larnaca in Cyprus, Cairo in Egypt, and Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia as carriers adjusted routes in response to the unfolding security situation.(MyTVCebu)