PIA suspends flights to UAE, other Gulf countries amid Middle East crisis
Flights to Saudi Arabia have been rerouted, says PIA
February 28, 2026
In view of the “evolving situation” in the Middle East, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Saturday suspended its flights to Gulf countries due to the “evolving situation in the Middle East”.
The flights have been suspended to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Doha, and Kuwait, according to a statement shared by PIA on its official X handle.
It said flights to Saudi Arabia have been rerouted, “avoiding conflict hit zones”.
The development came as flights across the Middle East were being cancelled as several countries slammed their airspace shut after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates all announced at least partial closures of their skies in the hours after smoke began rising over Tehran and Iran began retaliatory attacks in the region.
Iranian missiles hit capital cities around the wealthy Gulf region, killing at least one, as witnesses reported seeing warplanes and projectiles streaking through the skies.
Carriers including Air France, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algerie and Lufthansa announced widespread cancellations.
