Lufthansa has dispatched an empty Airbus A380 from Abu Dhabi in a high-stakes attempt to bring the aircraft back to Europe, as escalating conflict and airspace closures across the Middle East leave airlines scrambling to reposition stranded jets. The flight’s progress has drawn intense attention online, with more than 80,000 people tracking the aircraft live on FlightRadar24.
Empty A380 Departs Abu Dhabi for Munich
The A380 lifted off from Abu Dhabi International Airport on Monday morning at 10:20 (France time), which corresponds to 13:30 local time in the United Arab Emirates. According to the flight number information, there were no passengers on board.
The aircraft is due to be ferried back to Munich, Germany. Airlines operating in the region have faced mounting operational difficulties after closures of parts of the airspace, a situation that has worsened since US strikes on Iran.
New Attacks Reported Across the Region Ahead of Take-off
Just hours before Lufthansa’s departure, Iranian missiles reportedly targeted one of Saudi Aramco’s largest refineries in Saudi Arabia.
Overnight, the United Arab Emirates was again struck, with AWS data centres-Amazon’s cloud subsidiary-also reported to have been hit. It is described as the first time cloud infrastructure belonging to a major provider has been directly affected by the war.
During the weekend, Abu Dhabi was hit as well, and Dubai was also targeted-an unprecedented development for the city in around 80 years. In a 24-hour period, more than 130 missiles and 200 “kamikaze” drones were launched towards Dubai, according to the figures cited.
Thousands of Flights Cancelled; UAE Offers Support to Stranded Travellers
Air travel disruption has spread across key hubs including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, as well as a total of seven major airports in the region. More than 2,000 flights were cancelled on Monday 2 March alone.
A day earlier, the tally stood at 3,400 flights departing from or arriving into the region.
In response, the UAE said on Sunday it would cover accommodation, meals and assistance for affected travellers. Authorities estimate about 20,200 passengers are impacted, and several private-sector organisations have said they will contribute to the wider support effort.
Etihad Also Moves Freight and Ferries Passenger Jets
In the hours before Lufthansa’s flight, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad operated cargo aircraft movements, with flights arriving from Lagos and departing for Hong Kong.
Etihad also launched its own A380 with no passengers roughly 30 minutes after the German airline’s A380 took off, reflecting the wider push by carriers to relocate aircraft amid rapidly changing security and airspace conditions.
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