Airlines and authorities have confirmed that flights are being disrupted and cancelled following US and Israeli military action in Iran.
Due to ongoing military activity in the Middle East, the airspace over the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan is closed.
Consequently, Emirates and Qatar Airways flights will not be departing from South Africa until further notice.
The airline noted that any passengers booked on affected flights will be rebooked as soon as possible.
“Based on the latest information available, these restrictions are expected to remain in place until Monday, 2 March 2026. However, the situation remains fluid and subject to change,” the groups said.
“We will continue to monitor developments closely and provide further updates as soon as we receive additional information from our airline partners.”
Cape Town Tourism has also confirmed global flight disruptions and cancellations related to the evolving situation in the Middle East and associated airspace closures.
The authority strongly advised travellers to contact their airline, travel agent, or the airport directly to confirm the latest flight status before heading to the airport.
“Those affected should contact their travel agencies to rebook and receive further assistance,” it said.
Cape Town Tourism said it is closely monitoring developments and remains in contact with key aviation and tourism partners.
Further updates will be provided as soon as new information becomes available.
Safety remains the highest priority. Passengers are advised to:
- Check flight status directly with their airline
- Expect ongoing disruptions and allow for delays
- Ensure travel insurance is current and provides appropriate cover
- Monitor official news and travel advisories
US feeding war
The US-Israeli attack on Tehran on Saturday marks a turning point for President Donald Trump, who is wagering that a war — the kind of which he once vowed not to start — will strengthen his second-term agenda.
In a break from his campaign promises to keep the US out of foreign wars, Trump decided to attack — despite what Arab mediators described as significant progress in nuclear talks with Tehran, and in the face of polling showing most Americans oppose fresh military action.
It came less than two months after he ordered a high-stakes US military raid inside Venezuela, another signal that his second term has tilted toward muscular intervention abroad.
The Iran strikes are the biggest gamble yet for the US leader, whose approval ratings have plunged in recent weeks, with surveys showing Americans think he is concentrating too much on foreign policy and too little on the economy.
Forecasts suggest Republicans may lose the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections, with the outcome in the Senate less clear.
The US has bombed at least seven countries since Trump returned to office, but none of those operations was as significant as the latest.
It deepens his focus on foreign affairs over domestic concerns like inflation and affordability. It also ties his political fate more tightly to events he cannot fully control.
“It could very well be that this is something that’s attractive to Donald Trump, who is facing a lot of problems at home,” said Paul Musgrave, a scholar of US foreign policy at Georgetown University in Doha, referring to politicians using foreign wars to bolster support at home.
“Given the amount of praise that he got for the military side of Venezuela, which was one of the few bright spots in the past few months for him, he might be looking to recapture that on a broader level.”
Wars often define American presidencies in a way that the leader sitting in the Oval Office never intended.
Vietnam consumed Lyndon Johnson’s tenure, and Iraq came to define George W. Bush’s. Even clear battlefield victories offer no guarantee of political rescue.
The swift Gulf War triumph in 1991 wasn’t enough to save Bush’s father when voters turned back to the economy.
Trump “suddenly seems to be preparing the American people for a longer and bloodier conflict,” Musgrave said.
“If he is thinking about something longer, something diversionary, then this might end up very poorly for him in the long run.”
With Bloomberg
