The Iran conflict triggered some of the longest-ever flights to nowhere, with 2 planes returning to their bases after 16 hours
Mike Campbell/NurPhoto via Getty Images
- Strikes on Iran disrupted one of the world's busiest flight corridors.
- Two jets returned to their origins after nearly 16 hours.
- An American Airlines plane went back to Philadelphia, and an Emirates A380 to New Zealand.
Two airplanes flew for nearly 16 hours only to end up back where they started, as the conflict with Iran upended air travel.
Flights operated by American Airlines and Emirates were among those in the air when most Gulf countries shut their airspace on Saturday.
American Flight 120 took off from Philadelphia around 8 p.m. on Friday. It was due to land in Doha, Qatar, about 12 hours later.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner not only flew across the Atlantic but as far as the Mediterranean Sea, before it U-turned off the coast of Spain.
On the other side of the world, an Emirates Airbus A380 took off from Auckland, New Zealand, expecting a 16-hour trip to Dubai.
But eight hours into the flight, the double-decker jet changed course — forced to double back over Australia and the Tasman Sea.
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The American Dreamliner landed back in Philadelphia 15 hours and 32 minutes after taking off from there, according to data from Flightradar24.
Flight 120 was canceled over the next three days, too, while Qatari airspace remains closed.
Meanwhile, the Emirates A380 returned to Auckland after 15 hours and 37 minutes in the air.
The Dubai-based airline usually operates some 500 flights a day, but UAE airspace has been closed since early Saturday. Dozens of Emirates' planes have been left in unexpected cities across the world after being forced to divert en route to Dubai.
Similar incidents occurring in either hemisphere highlight just how important the Middle East is for aviation.
The region's three major airlines — Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad — operate huge hubs that connect passengers from across the globe. Its geography makes it a convenient stopover between Asia and Europe, or onward to North America.
These airlines collectively carry 90,000 transiting passengers through their hubs daily, excluding those destined for the Middle East, according to the aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The Persian Gulf is also a major flight corridor for aircraft that don't land there, such as flights from India or Australia to Europe. They have instead been rerouting over Saudi Arabia or the Caucasus.
Disruption to flights has hit airline stocks, with major carriers worldwide seeing sharp share price falls on Monday.