More than 100,000 tourists are stranded in the Middle East due to unrest, which has caused over 11,000 flights to be canceled in the past week.
Following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February, more than 11,000 flights were abruptly canceled as Middle Eastern countries closed their airspace, leaving over 100,000 tourists worldwide stuck in the region.
Normally, Middle Eastern airspace is very busy with a high volume of flights, but it has been closed and devoid of flights throughout the past week.
Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates, one of the busiest airports connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa to 291 global destinations and serving over 4.9 million travelers, experienced an 87% drop in flights on 28 February.
In the past week, many Middle Eastern airports canceled an average of 91% of flights. By 4 March, some airports began partially reopening certain routes, despite ongoing unrest.
Additional reports indicate that over 300,000 British tourists remain in the Middle East as they await return travel.
The U.S. reported that over 17,500 American citizens have been assisted and safely evacuated from the Middle East back to the United States.
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SourceCNN