Syrian carrier have stopped flights to Baghdad and British Airways will suspend its services to Israel and Kuwait as airlines react to the quickening countdown to war with Iraq.
But other airlines operating in the region were adopting a "wait-and-see" approach with many planning to re-route services once war broke out.
Two privately owned Syrian airlines that offered direct flights from Damascus to the Iraqi capital announced on Tuesday that they would no longer fly to Baghdad in the light of the US ultimatum to Iraq.
Sakr al-Khalij, which has flown five times a week to the Iraqi capital for the past two and a half years, suspended its service while Clic Tours, which offered the same frequency, said it had "temporarily halted flights for lack of passengers".
National flag carrier Syrian Arab Airlines, which does not offer a Baghdad service, said its flights remained unchanged for the time being.
In London, British Airways announced it was suspending flights to Israel and Kuwait for safety reasons.
BA's twice-daily flights to Tel Aviv would be suspended from Thursday, after one final flight tomorrow, the carrier said.
The final flight to Kuwait had already left London and would make the return leg early tomorrow morning, it added.
AFP