JOHANNESBURG – Flights to the Middle East from South Africa remain suspended amid the closure of air space to traffic due to the ongoing conflict in the region.
Stranded passengers have had to extend their stay as various airlines announced the temporary cancellation of flights at the weekend.
Airports Company South Africa has urged travellers scheduled to depart from South African airports not to proceed to airport precincts until they have confirmed their flight status directly with their respective airlines.
Emirates and Qatar Airways have mostly been affected.
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Emirates have suspended their operations until 3pm on Monday, when it will issue further communication.
In an earlier statement, the airline instructed customers affected by the cancellations to contact their travel agencies for rebooking.
“We are actively monitoring the situation and engaging with relevant authorities," the airline said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Qatar Airways said its flight operations also remained suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
Update: Qatar Airways flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace. A further update will be provided on March…— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) March 2, 2026
“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace,” the airline said.
Qatar Airways will provide further updates on Tuesday.