Chaos at Abu Dhabi airport, passengers stranded as airspace shut after Iran attack

New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 28, 2026 21:57 IST

As soon as the US and Israel launched missile attacks on Iran, and Tehran retaliated using its own firepower with full force, hitting US bases in several gulf nations, there was utter chaos. Several countries closed their airspace for commercial flights as well as shut down airport operations, leaving passengers in a web of uncertainty as they found themselves in the middle of the conflict all of a sudden, with no idea what would follow next.

Explosions were reported across parts of the region, with witnesses telling Reuters they heard blasts in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai — all major transit hubs. In response to multiple regional airspace closures, authorities in the UAE suspended flights, leaving thousands of travellers uncertain about when they will be able to leave.

The passengers described scenes of confusion and anxiety after flight operations were halted amid escalating hostilities in the Middle East.

"I came to Abu Dhabi to attend a friend's party over the weekend, and we are stuck here. Many alarms went off at the airport, and as the news suggests, some missile attacks have also taken place. The national guards here have kind of taken over the airport, and there is a bit of a commotion inside," news agency ANI quoted Sanjeev Mehta, a flier who had travelled to Abu Dhabi, as saying.

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