Iran-US war triggers one of the biggest aviation disruptions since Covid-19. Photo Credit: AdobeStock/Audrius
The Iran-US conflict has triggered one of the most severe aviation disruptions since the pandemic. With Gulf transit points central to Asia-Europe routes, trade show attendees travelling intercontinental are having to reroute or cancel their plans.
Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait airspaces are now shut. Major long-haul hubs within active conflict zones, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha – key connectors between Europe and Asia – were directly hit by strikes.
Limited flights have since resumed at Dubai’s airports, but capacity remains significantly reduced as authorities work through backlogs and reposition aircraft.
Qatar Airways operations remain suspended until Qatari airspace reopens. Meanwhile, Emirates has warned of disruptions through 5 March.
European carriers have also extended cancellations. The Air France-KLM group has suspended several Middle East routes into early March due to security concerns.
By 3 March, global cancellation climbed into the tens of thousands with at least 12,000 cancellations reported.
Asia Pacific routes feel the squeeze
The impact is now reverberating across Asia Pacific, particularly on Asia–Europe corridors that traditionally rely on Gulf hubs for connections.
Ticket prices between Asia and Europe have surged as more passengers reroute their plans away from the affected region.
Industry analysts say the sudden loss of Gulf transit options has tightened seat supply and pushed up fares across alternative northern and direct routings.
Major Asian carriers have responded with suspensions and cancellations.
Singapore Airlines has cancelled all Dubai flights until 7 March and suspended services to parts of the Middle East, while offering penalty-free refunds for affected passengers.
Cathay Pacific has cancelled Middle East services indefinitely, including Dubai routes, citing safety concerns.
Japan Airlines has suspended its Tokyo–Doha leg, and Malaysia Airlines has halted flights to Doha, Jeddah and Madinah until 4 March.
Events disrupted
APAC attendees of major trade shows in Europe were caught up in the travel chaos, including West of Mobile World Congress for technology in Barcelona and ITB Berlin for the travel trade.
Many attendees have been blocked by Middle East airspace closures, including from Singapore, Vietnam, India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain.
Meanwhile, business events in the Middle East are starting to announce postponements.
The Megacampus Summit, expected to draw around 7,000 attendees from more than 100 countries in Dubai on 6-7 March – has been postponed to September.
The Affiliate World Global: Dubai Edition 2026 – originally due to open on 4 March – has been pushed even further back to Spring 2027, the organiser statement announced.
For events scheduled beyond this month, organisers seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach, where planning continues until further notice.
For example, the M&I Expo for meetings and incentive industry elites is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi come April. Organisers stated: “We are monitoring the current situation in Abu Dhabi closely. We are in touch with our partners and regional authorities. Further updates will follow.”