Air Canada cancels Dubai flights until March 3 after U.S., Israel strike Iran

Air Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft sit parked at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Flights across the Middle East were thrown into chaos Saturday after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, prompting multiple airlines — including Canada’s largest carrier — to cancel, or divert flights.

For Canadian carriers with routes into major Middle Eastern hubs, the closures mean immediate cancellations and growing uncertainty about when service can safely resume.

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After initially only cancelling Saturday flights to and from Dubai, Air Canada announced that all flights to Dubai are cancelled until March 3, while flights to Israel are cancelled until March 8.

“We are monitoring the situation and will adjust our schedule accordingly,” the airline said in a statement posted online, urging customers to check live updates through their online database.

Following the attack on Iran, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar closed their airspace.

Airspace in southern Syria was also shut down, effectively cutting off several major flight corridors across the world.

Aircraft already en route to cities including Tel Aviv and Dubai early Saturday were also diverted mid-flight or returned to their departure points as the closures took effect.

Dubai International Airport, the largest in the UAE and one of the busiest in the world, said Saturday that four people were injured in a “blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles.”

Emirates, whose primary hub is at Dubai International Airport, suspended all operations to and from Dubai until 6 a.m. EST on Sunday. The airline operates seven flights per week between Dubai and Toronto.

The first apparent strike was reported near the offices of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, with Iranian state media reporting attacks nationwide and smoke seen rising from the capital.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a video posted to social media that the United States had begun “major combat operations in Iran.” He claimed Iran had continued developing its nuclear program and planned to build missiles capable of reaching the U.S.

On Saturday afternoon, Trump claimed that Khamenei had died following the attack.

With files from The Associated Press