ITA Airways halts Tel Aviv and Dubai routes amid Middle-East air-space closures

ITA Airways, Italy’s state-owned flag carrier, has grounded all services to Tel Aviv until 8 March and extended the suspension of its Dubai rotation to 4 March after security advisories warned of potential missile and drone activity over parts of the Middle East. The airline also confirmed that it will avoid the air-space of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dammam and Iran until at least 7 March, and will temporarily pause flights to Riyadh between 2 and 4 March. Although the network cuts affect only four scheduled days, the knock-on effect for corporate itineraries is significant. ITA normally operates two daily A330 flights on the Rome–Dubai sector and at least ten weekly narrow-body services to Tel Aviv from Rome and Milan. Travel-management companies estimate that more than 5,000 passenger sectors—many involving onward connections to Asia—will need to be re-protected or refunded.



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Cargo planners are also scrambling: the belly-hold capacity that ITA feeds into SkyTeam partners on the Dubai route is an important conduit for Italian luxury and pharma exports bound for the Gulf. Business-traveller options are limited. Emirates has suspended its own Dubai–Rome and Dubai–Milan flights until 3 March, while Turkish Airlines continues to operate but is flying longer routings that skirt Iraqi and Iranian skies, adding 45–70 minutes to block times. Mobility managers are advising staff to reroute via European hubs that still serve Tel Aviv—mainly Paris (Air France) and Frankfurt (Lufthansa)—and to consider virtual meeting alternatives where possible. At Italian airports, the immediate challenge is stranded passengers. Fiumicino reported 45 Middle-East cancellations on 2 March, and ITA has set up dedicated rebooking counters in Rome and Milan. Travellers holding through-tickets issued before 29 February can rebook once, free of charge, within the ticket’s validity or request a full refund. The airline says it is monitoring the situation “hour by hour” and will reinstate flights “as soon as conditions allow”. For global-mobility and assignment teams, the disruption is another reminder that political risk in destination and over-flight corridors can change overnight. Companies with expatriates in Israel or the Gulf are urged to review evacuation protocols and maintain up-to-date contact lists. Those moving equipment or samples under tight deadlines should explore freight alternatives via Jeddah, Doha or Athens until ITA’s normal schedule resumes.