The US and Israel began a military campaign against Iran on Saturday, and Iran has responded by attacking surrounding nations in the Middle East.
Damage has been reported at Dubai International airport, while one person was killed and seven injured in Abu Dhabi after the “interception of a drone that targeted Zayed International Airport” according to a statement from the airport.
Some hotels have also been damaged in Middle Eastern countries, including the luxury Burj Al Arab in Dubai and the Crowne Plaza Bahrain.
Airspace is closed over several Middle Eastern aviation hubs, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, which provide critical connections between Australia and Europe.
Virgin Australia has already cancelled 14 flights yesterday and today between Australia and Qatar.
Australia’s government operated Smart Traveller advisory website has updated its advice for the Middle East to “Do not travel” for all countries except Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Oman, which all carry the “Reconsider your need to travel” advice.
micenet has seen one organiser that has postponed a major business event, while some conferences to be held later in March and April have started adding updates to their websites stating that they are monitoring the situation before making decisions on whether and in what format to hold their events.
This morning Australia’s Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, told the ABC that there were 11,000 Australians travelling through Middle East airports.
Meanwhile US President Donald Trump told the Daily Mail that the conflict could last four weeks.
