A missile and drone strike in early June damaged parts of the passenger terminal and radar facilities at Kuwait International Airport. Airlines rerouted or canceled flights at short notice. Later that month, after further Iranian attacks in the region, Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace.
That is the latest chapter for a gateway that has not had a quiet stretch in months. According to the aviation news site The Traveler, the airport shut down from late February and reopened in phases from late April, as carriers cautiously restored limited services. Flight activity has struggled to find a steady rhythm since, tied to the conflict involving Iran and regional powers.
Scheduled flights back, but fragile
Scheduled flights have largely resumed. Industry updates still describe operations as vulnerable to sudden changes in regional security. Aviation risk assessments sent to corporate clients in late June warned of possible congestion, capacity limits and delays as airlines work around new airspace controls in the northern Gulf.
Transit traffic has taken the worst of it. Travellers report widespread cancellation of connecting itineraries on Kuwait Airways over the northern summer. Point-to-point services to and from the country run on steadier, if sometimes delayed, schedules. Online forums describe some passengers being told that connecting flights are halted for much of the summer and possibly into the autumn.
Travel management companies are telling corporate clients to build in extra buffer time and stay flexible on routings, especially for trips touching Kuwait.
Carriers extend suspensions
Other airlines have pulled back across the region. A Singapore Airlines advisory updated on 15 July 2026 shows Dubai services cancelled through 24 October 2026. The launch of flights to Riyadh, first planned for early June, has been pushed to 1 September. Ticket holders are offered rebooking or refunds.
Air France says flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut remain halted, and its Dubai and Riyadh services are suspended too. The airline has shifted capacity east, adding flying to Bangkok, Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai, Tokyo and Osaka. Schedule data suggests it is unlikely to bring the suspended routes back before the end of the summer season unless security improves markedly.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency now recommends avoiding the airspace of Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and parts of the Gulf of Oman at all levels, following earlier advisories covering Israel, Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Those come on top of existing restrictions over Iran and Iraq.
Airlines flying nearby are using higher cruising levels and wider diversion corridors. Some Europe-Asia flights now run longer block times and burn more fuel. Many Gulf-based carriers have rebuilt much of their pre-war frequency, but traffic across key Middle Eastern hubs remains below late February levels, according to aviation analytics firms.
