Turkey has suspended its flights to most of its destinations in the Middle East, including air routes connecting Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, at least until Friday, officials announced in the last few hours. Following the offensive launched by the US and Israel against Iran, major Turkish airlines – including Turkish Airlines, AJet and Pegasus – have cancelled operations in the region due to air insecurity and successive airspace closures.
Turkey’s transport and infrastructure minister, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, reported that authorities are following real-time airspace developments in the region and that, after assessing the current situation, “flights to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan have been cancelled until 6 March 2026,” he said in remarks quoted by Turkish media. “All planned flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have also been cancelled until 3 March 2026,” he added.
The minister stressed that following the bombings against Iran that began on 28 February, the authorities in Ankara are monitoring the situation “moment by moment” and that all necessary measures have been taken. “Advisories to aviation personnel on the closure of airspace over Iran, Israel, Iraq, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and the southern part of Syria remain in force. Civilian flights continue over Oman, parts of Saudi Arabia and Lebanon,” he said. In the United Arab Emirates, Uraloğlu said, air traffic diversions are being implemented as part of the emergency measures, although he assured that flights of airlines such as Emirates and Etihad Airways will resume from today.
Regarding the situation of Turkish airlines, the minister said that a Turkish Airlines plane remains stranded at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, being the only Turkish state airline aircraft directly affected by the conflict. He also confirmed that an aircraft belonging to the private company Pegasus is at the same airport, while the airline AJet has no aircraft in Iran, Syria, Iraq or other currently restricted areas. The minister also announced that the aircraft leased by Turkish charter airline Tailwind Airlines from an Iraqi company, is located safely in Iraq.
Flights to Iran suspended for at least two weeks
The Transport Minister said that the crews and representatives of Turkish Airlines and Pegasus in Tehran have been transferred to Turkey as part of the evacuation plans for Turkish staff at the Ankara Embassy in Tehran, and said that the Turkish embassy in Baghdad is being contacted about the situation of the crew of the Tailwind plane, whose members are awaiting instructions in the Iraqi capital. He also indicated that Turkish Airlines is maintaining its staff in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, noting that in these countries the security risk for now is considered low.
“Due to the continuing risk situation in the region, flights to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan operated by Turkish Airlines, AJet, Pegasus and SunExpress have been cancelled until 6 March 2026. In addition, Pegasus Airlines will not operate flights to Iran until 12 March,” said Turkey’s transport minister, who added that decisions are evaluated every day, so the cancellations could be extended if the security situation in the Middle East does not improve. However, Uraloğlu announced that “flights to Riyadh, Jeddah and Medina in Saudi Arabia, as well as to Oman, will be able to operate today”.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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