Sri Lanka, March 2 -- Thousands of flights across the Middle East and Gulf were cancelled on Saturday and Sunday as several countries closed their airspace after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran.

Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were among the nations that announced at least partial closures of their skies, forcing flight suspensions, cancellations and diversions, which left tens of thousands of passengers stranded around the world.

The conflict led to the closure of key hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, and the cancellation of more than 1,800 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines, according to aviation analytics company Cirium. Of around 4,218 flights...