The airspace of the Middle East has been badly affected due to the attacks being carried out by America and Israel on Iran. Due to this war, more than 27,000 flights have been canceled since 28 February 2026. About 90 thousand transit passengers traveling through Gulf countries are being affected every day and thousands of people are stranded at airports from Hong Kong to London. The situation is so bad that flight tickets between Asia and Europe have become expensive by 900 percent.
What is the condition of airports and airlines of Gulf countries?
Many airlines in the Middle East have greatly limited their services. Only those who have confirmed tickets have been asked to come to the airport.
Air India: It is running 32 additional non-scheduled flights on March 10 to evacuate Indians stranded in Gulf countries.
Qatar Airways: From March 10 to 12, very few flights will fly from Doha on certain routes. Passengers with standby tickets have been barred from coming to the airport.
Etihad Airways: Will operate a limited number of commercial flights from Abu Dhabi till March 19.
Cathay Pacific: In view of the huge rush of passengers, it is adding additional flights to London and Zurich.
What changes occurred in ticket prices and flight routes?
The airspace over Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE is closed or significantly restricted for security reasons. Due to this, flights are being diverted over Caucasus and Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia and Oman. This change has increased the travel time from 2 to 4 hours.
The price of aviation fuel has also reached 150 to 200 dollars per barrel, due to which Indian airlines are incurring a loss of Rs 150 to 200 crores daily. Talking about ticket prices, the economy ticket from London to Mumbai has reached $3,450 and the business class has reached $10,700. A one-way ticket from London to Singapore is being sold for $8,100.
Will this war last long?
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the strongest attacks will be carried out inside Iran on March 10. US President Donald Trump has estimated that this conflict could last for 4 to 5 weeks, but America is also capable of prolonging it. Due to closure of airspace and continuous attacks, global connectivity and earnings of airlines are being greatly affected.