The messages started showing up in my feed late at night.

Friends posting from the Gulf. Someone in Dubai. Another in Abu Dhabi. A colleague working on a project in Riyadh. The tone was the same in each post: urgency mixed with disbelief.

“Flights are selling out.”

“Does anyone know which airlines are still flying?”

“I just bought three tickets hoping one of them gets me out.”

For years, the global expat world in the Middle East has operated on a quiet assumption. If something goes wrong, you can get on a plane. The airports in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi are among the busiest aviation hubs on earth. Flights leave constantly for Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Until suddenly they don’t.