Jaiveer Cheema, an Emirates passenger, was scheduled to fly to America on 28/2 but was stuck on the plane for five hours without food. All passengers were then asked to disembark and move into the crowded terminal in Dubai.

Cheema stated that the following hours at the airport were "absolute chaos because no one knew what to do". He and other travelers sought assistance from numerous security personnel and airline staff, but received conflicting information. He then had to wait for hours in line to receive a hotel room voucher and board a bus to his accommodation. Upon arrival, he waited another 90 minutes without being checked in.

An Emirates aircraft parked at Manila International Airport, Philippines on 2/3. Photo: AP

Louise Herrle and her husband had their flight to Washington, America, canceled after their trip to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. They received no information regarding when they could rebook their tickets.

"We are in our hotel room and we are not leaving. We cannot check out until we know for sure that there is a flight out of here," Herrle said, believing that thousands of other travelers were in the same predicament.

Cheema and the Herrle couple are among hundreds of thousands of passengers who found themselves stranded, scrambling for alternative flights or attempting to contact airlines via overloaded hotlines on 1/3. This disruption occurred after attacks on Iran by America and Israel forced the closure of much of the Middle East's airspace.

The exact number of stranded passengers globally is difficult to determine, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. However, estimates for airports in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi alone indicate that at least 90,000 passengers connect daily on ba major airlines: Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways.

Qatar Airways has continued to suspend flights and will provide an update on the morning of tuesday 3/3, while Jordan declared a partial closure of its airspace. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Civil Aviation Authority reported that approximately 20,200 affected passengers received assistance with temporary accommodation arrangements and flight rescheduling.

Travelers faced indefinite waits as electronic boards at airports across Middle Eastern countries uniformly turned red. In response to this situation, governments on 2/3 implemented various measures to help their citizens return home.

Approximately 30,000 German tourists are currently stranded on cruise ships, in hotels, or at closed airports in the Middle East. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stated on the evening of 1/3 that military evacuation was not currently feasible. He said the government is considering other options to assist citizens with repatriation and advised everyone to follow the guidance of German tour operators and local authorities.

The German Travel Association urged tourists to "urgently remain in their booked hotels" and not "independently travel to airports or neighboring countries".

Passengers waiting due to delayed or canceled flights at Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon on 28/2.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced that hai aircraft would be dispatched to Egypt and Jordan to bring citizens home. mot aircraft will pick up 79 citizens at the Sharm El Sheikh resort in Egypt. The other aircraft will evacuate citizens from Amman, Jordan. Babiš noted that approximately 6,700 Czechs are currently in the region. Four other aircraft are also en route to Muscat and Salalah, Oman, to repatriate Czech tourists.

In Asia, thousands of tourists are stranded on the Indonesian island of Bali due to canceled international flights. Bali International Airport reported that as of the afternoon of 2/3, at least 15 flights, comprising 8 departures and 7 arrivals, on routes to Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, had been canceled.

Air France canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai, and Riyadh, while many other airlines, from Air India to KLM, also suspended routes and issued warnings. Nearly 3,200 departing passengers were affected by the disruptions, according to airport spokesperson Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi.

Flights from London, Bangladesh, and America to the Middle East were either completely canceled or rerouted mid-flight, leaving travelers stranded in overcrowded terminals. Experts anticipate that the number of affected passengers and aircraft could continue to rise sharply worldwide if airports do not resume operations soon.

In Lebanon, flight operations at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport were also disrupted. Many passengers were stranded, forming long queues in the terminal. In Nepal, international flights at Tribhuvan International Airport were affected. The airport advised passengers that they might face delays, rescheduling, or cancellations due to airspace restrictions, and urged them to contact their airline directly for assistance.

This airspace crisis is expected to significantly impact international aviation operations in the coming days.

The disruption to the global transport network has had a major impact on the tourism sector. On the financial markets on the morning of 2/3, shares of international airlines fell. United, Delta, and American each lost 5% to 6%, while global hotel chains experienced declines. Cruise lines like Carnival saw even deeper drops.

Anh Minh (According to AP, Business Insider)