Sri Lanka, March 1 -- Thousands of flights have been affected across the Middle East and beyond since the U.S. and Israeli strikes, according to data on FlightAware, a flight tracking platform.

Key transit airports including Dubai - the world's busiest international hub - and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, and Doha in Qatar, were shut or severely restricted as much of the region's airspace remained closed.

Dubai International Airport sustained damage during Iran's retaliatory attacks, while airports in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait were also hit.

Dubai and neighbouring Doha sit at the crossroads of east-west air travel, funnelling long-haul traffic between Europe and Asia through tightly scheduled networks of connecting flights.

With those hubs idle, a...