Middle East conflict: over 14,700 flights disrupted, Thailand affected

The Thai Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) wishes to warn the public and passengers of the current military tensions in the Middle East.

The situation is part of a coordinated military offensive between the United States and Israel against Iran.

The closure of several airspaces in the Middle East, amid a military ’escalation, triggers a domino effect on international connections between ’Europe, ’Asia and ’Asia-Pacific.

According to data published by specialized air traffic monitoring platforms, including FlightAware, more than 14,700 flights have been delayed and more than 1,800 have been cancelled worldwide as a result of Middle East airspace closures.

The CAAT urges travelers to systematically check the status of their flight and reminds passengers of their rights when departing from Thailand.

An escalation that triggers closures of ’airspace

The CAAT warned that several countries in the region have announced the closure of their airspace or temporary restrictions in order to protect civil aviation.

The Israeli government announced the closure of its airspace to all civil flights and asked the public to avoid traveling to the country's airports until further notice.

Iranian authorities also closed the ’national airspace as a safety measure.

Besides Israel and Iran, several Gulf countries have also completely or partially closed their airspace as a precaution, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

These decisions heavily disrupt the air routes linking Europe and Asia and force airlines to revise their flight plans.

Air chaos: cancellations, diversions and extended itineraries

Beyond the closures themselves, the situation leads to a rapid disorganization of traffic: serial cancellations, flights diverted to alternative airports, rescheduling and lengthening of travel times.

Many airlines are forced to bypass areas deemed risky, which reduces traffic over certain parts of the Middle East and raises the cost of operations (longer routes, higher fuel consumption, disrupted rotations).

The consequences are especially felt on the major air routes linking Europe to Asia (and, more broadly, the Asia-Pacific), where the Middle East usually serves as an overflight corridor or a connection zone via major hubs.

Possible impacts on flights departing from Thailand?

For passengers departing from Thailand — especially to Europe or the Middle East, or with a connection in a third country — the CAAT recommends closely monitoring the airline's communications and checking the flight status before each departure.

In practice, disruptions can take several forms:

• Delays related to detours (extended flight time) or congestion in certain air corridors.
• Itinerary changes : unexpected stopovers, new connections, modification of the entry/exit point.
• Cancellations when the service to a destination or hub becomes too uncertain.
• Missed connections on multi‑segment routes (Europe–Asia / Asia–Europe) due to a delayed first flight.

Thai Airways indicated that the closure of l’Israeli and Iranian airspace n’does not directly affect its flights, as its current routes do not fly over those areas.

However, the airline has already adjusted certain routes over Pakistan and Afghanistan to avoid risky areas, which has lengthened flight times to several European destinations.

Passenger rights: beware of connections outside Thailand

The CAAT also advises passengers to verify their rights directly with their airline, as transit countries may not have passenger protection laws equivalent to those in force in Thailand.

However, passengers departing from Thailand remain protected by the applicable regulations.

These include, in particular, the right to care and assistance in case of flight delay or ’cancellation, according to the conditions provided by Thai regulations and the flight situation.

Practical advice: what CAAT recommends doing before leaving

• Check the flight status (app, airline website, e‑mail/SMS) before each departure.
• Monitor the gate changes, schedule and itinerary (detours and modified connections).
• Plan a time margin larger, especially in case of transit.
• Keep the evidence (notifications, receipts, exchanges) in case of a request for assistance/compensation.
• Contact the airline as a priority for rebooking and handling.

File a complaint in case of service problem

In order to ensure full protection of passengers' rights, they can, if they encounter service-related issues, file a complaint via: complaint.caat.or.th.

CAAT states that it will continue to monitor the situation in coordination with security agencies and airlines in order to assess the potential impacts on Thai passengers.

The authority specifies that it will closely monitor aviation safety and provide periodic updates to the public, as applicable.

Source: Bangkok Post, The Nation Thailand 1, The Nation Thailand 2