Dozens of flights between Australia, the Middle East and Europe have been cancelled, including four Virgin Australia services bound for Doha, which were forced to turn around after take-off as airlines scramble to avoid a wide corridor of airspace over Iran and surrounding countries.
Airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi – key transit points for Qantas’ main international partners Emirates and Etihad, respectively – were damaged by overnight Iranian attacks on sites across the Gulf. Both Emirates and Etihad suspended departures late on Saturday evening (Sunday AEDT).
