Lufthansa, KLM and other airlines cancel flights to Middle East amid fears of Iran conflict

Several major international airlines, including Lufthansa, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Air France, have cancelled their flights to and from Middle Eastern Nations due to a volatile security situation. According to several reports, flights to and from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates will be impacted.

"Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, and several other international airlines have begun to cancel flights tonight and over the weekend to and from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, citing the “security situation” in the Middle East," OSINTdefender wrote in a post on X.

Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, and several other international airlines have begun to cancel flights tonight and over the weekend to and from Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates,

citing the “security situation” in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/reeXpWNlef

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 23, 2026

Air France has cancelled flights between Paris and Dubai on Friday and Saturday, temporarily halting service to the emirate. According to Bloomberg, the airline's decision was made "due to the current situation in the Middle East."

KLM, the Dutch arm of the Air France-KLM group, has halted flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia and Tel Aviv, until further notice. Furthermore, United Airlines and Air Canada suspended flights to Israel in response to increased speculation that the United States would strike Iran.

This comes as the United States has increased its security presence around Iran as war fears escalate.  In a message to the Islamic Republic’s rulers, President Donald Trump has announced that a ‘massive’ naval force was on its way to Iran.

On Thursday, he told reporters on Air Force One, "We have an armada. We have a massive fleet heading in that direction, and maybe we won't have to use it," reported Newsweek.

Neither European nor Israeli aviation authorities have issued any particular security warnings. On Friday, the Israel Defence Forces confirmed that the military's recommendations for the Israeli public have not changed.

In a post on X, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said, "Ahead of Shabbat, I want to say to all Israeli citizens—the IDF is optimally prepared both for defence and offense. It's important to emphasise there is no change in the Home Front Command guidelines; we will make sure to update you if there is any change."

מסכמים עוד שבוע עצים של לחימה ושיפור המוכנות בכלל הזירות.

השבוע, צה״ל תקף בכל הגזרות - תקפנו מחבלים מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בלבנון, פתחנו במבצע למיגור טרור בחטיבה המרחבית ׳יהודה׳, תקפנו מחבלים שהפרו את הסכם הפסקת האש ברצועת עזה והמשכנו את מאמצי האכיפה בכל הגזרות.

השבוע ביקר…

— דובר צה״ל אפי דפרין - Effie Defrin (@IDFSpokesperson) January 23, 2026

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused the US of plotting against the Iranian government and supporting the protesters. In an X post on Saturday, he said, "We do not intend to lead the country toward war. However, we will not just let go of the criminals inside the country either. Worse than the internal criminals are the international criminals! We will not let go of them either."