Around 30 Middle Eastern airlines’ widebody aircraft stranded at US airports
Major carriers including Emirates (EK), Etihad Airways (EY), Qatar Airways (QR), El Al (LY) and Saudia (SV) have a combined 33 widebody jets grounded at 13 airports in North America
ATT Desk Report 
Around 30 Middle Eastern airlines’ widebody aircraft have been stranded at airports across the United States and Canada following sweeping airspace closures in the Gulf region.
Major carriers including Emirates (EK), Etihad Airways (EY), Qatar Airways (QR), El Al (LY) and Saudia (SV) have a combined 33 widebody jets grounded at 13 airports in North America.
Key transit hubs — including Dubai International Airport (DXB), Hamad International Airport (DOH) and Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) — have suspended operations amid escalating regional tensions.
The disruption follows US and Israeli air and missile strikes on Iran, prompting the closure of airspace over Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Syria. Aircraft operating long-haul routes between North America and Gulf hubs have since been unable to return, leaving passengers and crew awaiting clearance.
33 widebody jets grounded across North America
The stranded fleet includes Airbus A380s, Airbus A350 variants, Boeing 777 passenger and freighter aircraft, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, and a Qatar Executive Gulfstream G700.
Qatar Airways accounts for the largest share of grounded aircraft, including several Boeing 777-300ERs, 777-200LRs and Airbus A350s. Emirates has multiple Airbus A380-861s and Boeing 777-300ERs positioned at major US gateways such as New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Washington (IAD), Boston (BOS), Orlando (MCO), Montreal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ). Etihad Airways has both Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350-1000 aircraft affected.
El Al has four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners awaiting clearance at Newark (EWR), New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX), while Saudia has one Boeing 787-9 grounded at Toronto Pearson (YYZ). Qatar Cargo and Qatar Executive aircraft are also stranded in Houston (IAH) and San Francisco (SFO) respectively, according to aviation outlet Simple Flying.
Regional closures disrupt global transit
Airspace remains closed over several Middle Eastern countries, while major hubs in Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv have halted operations until further notice.
Reports of drone and missile activity near Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports, with confirmed casualties and injuries, prompted civil aviation authorities to suspend departures and arrivals across the affected region.
Between Saturday and Sunday alone, more than 3,200 flights to and from the region were cancelled. The shutdown has disrupted global transit flows, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at international hubs, including Singapore Changi and London Heathrow.
Impact on long-haul operations
Widebody aircraft serving North America–Gulf routes typically rely on Middle Eastern hubs for onward connections to South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australasia. With transit airports closed, inbound aircraft have no approved routing back to base.
Some airlines are attempting to reroute services via southern or northern corridors to avoid restricted airspace. However, these diversions add between one and three hours to flight times, increasing fuel consumption and placing pressure on crew duty limits. Not all aircraft can be repositioned immediately due to operational and regulatory constraints.
Cargo services have also been hit. A Qatar Cargo Boeing 777F remains grounded in Houston, while business aviation movements — including Qatar Executive’s Gulfstream G700 in San Francisco — are similarly affected.
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