The war in the Middle East has triggered the most severe disruption to Gulf aviation hubs since the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing airlines to suspend flights and reroute global travel corridors amid missile and drone attacks across the region, according to an Aviation Week podcast and international media reports.
The disruption followed large-scale strikes by the US and Israel on Iran, which Iranian state media said killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggered retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the Gulf region.
The escalation has created major operational challenges for the Gulf's aviation hubs, which serve as one of the world's most important transit corridors linking Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Credit: AFP
Gulf in freefall
Airports across the Gulf region — including Dubai International Airport, Doha's Hamad International Airport, and Abu Dhabi International Airport — have faced severe disruption as airlines suspended regular operations or limited flights to evacuation and repatriation services.
Regional airspace closures forced widespread cancellations and diversions, disrupting global airline networks and leaving thousands of travelers stranded.
International carriers including Air France, Lufthansa, and British Airways suspended or reduced flights to destinations across the Gulf following the outbreak of the conflict, according to international media reports.
Major Gulf carriers — including Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways — play a central role in global passenger and cargo connectivity, making stability in the region critical for international air travel.
As security conditions stabilize, airlines have begun gradually restoring services. Emirates said it expects to return to full flight capacity in the coming days as regional airspace reopens, Euronews reported.
Flying blind: Detours redraw the map
The conflict has forced airlines to avoid large swaths of Middle Eastern airspace, significantly extending flight times on routes between Europe and Asia.
According to the Aviation Week podcast, a flight from Dubai to Central Asia that normally takes about two hours recently required approximately five and a half hours due to detours around conflict zones.
Aviation analysts say airlines have been rerouting flights either north through the Caucasus or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Longer flight paths increase fuel consumption, operational costs, and scheduling disruptions for airlines. At the same time, geopolitical tensions have pushed oil prices higher, adding further pressure on airline profitability. Low-cost carriers, whose business models depend heavily on fuel efficiency and tight margins, are particularly vulnerable to rising costs.
Turbulence ahead for global routes
Industry observers say prolonged instability could weaken the Gulf region's role as a global transit hub if passengers begin avoiding connecting flights through the region.
Airlines outside the Middle East stand to benefit from the shift. The Aviation Week podcast noted that Turkish Airlines, which is expanding its hub capacity in Istanbul and has a large aircraft order backlog, could capture additional long-haul traffic between Europe and Asia.
Airlines in Southeast Asia could also regain some connecting traffic on long-haul routes between Europe and Australia that Gulf carriers have dominated over the past two decades.
Drones ground the recovery
Another major concern for the aviation industry is the continued use of drones in the conflict. Industry experts say widespread deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles poses a persistent threat to civil aviation because they are difficult to detect and intercept.
European aviation safety authorities have warned airlines to avoid large portions of Middle Eastern airspace due to the risk of missile and drone attacks. Unless these risks are contained, airlines may remain reluctant to fully resume operations in the region.
No flight path to recovery
Despite the disruption, analysts say it remains unclear whether the conflict will lead to lasting structural changes in the global aviation network.
Some industry observers note that Iran's commercial aircraft fleet — with an average age of more than 30 years — could generate significant demand for aircraft replacement if geopolitical conditions eventually stabilize. However, the Aviation Week podcast noted that such a scenario would depend on major political changes in Iran and the lifting of long-standing sanctions, making any near-term recovery for the region's aviation industry uncertain.
Article edited by Jerry Chen
