NEW YORK — The U.S. entry into Israel's war with Iran has caused travel disruptions to pile up globally.
Following unprecedented bombings ordered by President Donald Trump on three Iranian nuclear and military sites over the weekend, Iran on Monday launched a missile attack on U.S. forces at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base. Qatar had closed its airspace just hours earlier, after both the U.S. and U.K. also urged their citizens to shelter in place there.
The region has been on edge following the weekend strikes from the U.S. — and since Israel began the war with a surprise bombardment on Iran, which has responded with its own missile and drone strikes, earlier this month.
As deadly attacks escalated between Israel and Iran, sections of airspace and airports throughout the region have temporarily closed. And airlines cancelled more flights in recent days, with some halting select routes through the middle of the week — particularly in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, just across the Persian Gulf from Iran.
Singapore Airlines, for example, canceled some flights to and from Dubai starting Sunday and through Wednesday, citing ''a security assessment of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East.'' And British Airways has similarly suspended flights to and from Doha through Wednesday.
''Safety is always our highest priority,'' British Airlines said in a statement confirming its cancellations to The Associated Press, adding that it ''will keep the situation under review.''
Air India on Monday announced it was ceasing ''all operations to the region as well as to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe'' immediately until further notice. The airline, which is still reeling from a plane crash that killed at least 270 people earlier this month, added that India-bound flights from North America were being diverted or rerouted away from closed airspaces.
Air tracking data from FlightAware showed 705 cancellations worldwide as of Monday afternoon. Dubai International Airport topped the list with 75 cancellations in and out of the airport as of around 5 p.m. ET. And Air India had had the highest amount of cancellations among carriers, totaling 38 as of 5 p.m. ET.