aeroport-paris-cdg-pire-europe-2-1200

Air traffic disrupted: 300 flights at risk of cancellation in Paris after the conflict in Iran

undefined undefined 3 mars 2026 undefined 13h00

undefined undefined undefined 16h14

The Editor

© Sorbis / Shutterstock

With cancellations piling up, closed airways, and planes grounded... the war in Iran continues to heavily impact global traffic. In Paris and beyond, airport managers are warning that getting back to normal will take a lot of time.

The chaos isn't about to stop for airline passengers. With the conflict ignited by the strikes against Iran, the airspace in the Middle East remains heavily disrupted, leading to thousands of cancellations, air route closures, and flight disorganization that extends far beyond the affected region. 

In Paris, these disruptions are already resulting in a visible disorganization at the terminals: the CEO of Aéroports de Paris (ADP), Philippe Pascal, has warned that even if traffic recovers quickly, “it will take several days, even several weeks” to return to a normal operation of flights and air corridors.

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Une publication partagée par Vakita (@vakitamedia)


In Paris, hundreds of flights already cancelled

And the numbers speak for themselves. Traffic is down by 7% at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and 1% at Paris-Orly Airport.

If the situation continues, about 300 flights could be cancelled by the end of the week, after already experiencing 130 missed departures affecting nearly 35,000 passengers. For travelers, this means missed connections, hotel nights, and last-minute rearrangements.

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Une publication partagée par Pascal Godet (@p_teerak)


A domino effect across the 24 airports in the group

The ADP group, primarily owned by the French State, operates 24 airports worldwide. However, the disruptions are not limited to the Paris region: some international hubs are experiencing drastic drops in activity. In Jordan, traffic has decreased by 50%, and in Madinah, it has recently fallen by 25%, while the Delhi airport, the busiest in the group, is facing a decline of 5 to 7% as a knock-on effect.

The closure of airspaces and flight restrictions are forcing airlines to lengthen certain routes or suspend flights, leaving planes and crews stranded far from their bases and making global flight scheduling even more complicated.


Thousands of flights canceled in the Middle East...

The crisis has actually triggered a wave of unprecedented cancellations since the conflict began: at least 1,560 flights to the Middle East were canceled on Monday out of 3,779 scheduled, according to data from Cirium, which is nearly 41% of the total planned. Several airlines have extended their suspensions: Air France has particularly extended the halt of its flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai, and Riyadh at least until March 5 inclusive.


...and in the rest of the world

On its side, the International Air Transport Association (Iata), which brings together more than 360 airlines representing 85% of global commercial traffic, has called on the belligerents to spare aircraft and airport infrastructure to limit the impact on the civil sector.

Even if the fighting calms down, the sky won't reorganize overnight: reassigning aircraft, repositioning crews, and reopening air corridors take time and require international coordination. For travelers, this means that checking the status of your flight, anticipating possible changes, and staying updated with airline communications are absolutely essential in light of disruptions that are likely to persist.