War in the Middle East, chaos in the skies: over 12,300 flights cancelled. Here are the companies that stop
Four days of war and the sky is rapidly emptying. When the conflict spreads, the first to retreat are often the planes. It has already happened in Ukraine. Now it is repeated in the Middle East. After Iran’s first retaliatory strike, more than 12,300 flights were canceled across the region, according to data from Flightradar24 (the world’s most popular real-time flight tracking service) reported by Bloomberg. It’s not just the routes to Israel. The blockade extends to strategic hubs such as Dubai and Dohahubs through which a significant part of the world’s air traffic passes every day. Iran’s first retaliatory attack has indeed accelerated a chain reaction that now involves the world’s major airlines.
Who stops and until when
Decisions follow one another at a rapid pace. KLM has suspended all flights to Tel Aviv for the rest of the winter season and has stopped connections with Dammam, Riyadh and Dubai until at least March 9. British Airwaysin turn, has canceled flights to Amman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv until Tuesday 10 March. The group Lufthansawhich includes Swiss, Austrian and other subsidiaries, has taken even broader measures: suspension of flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Dammam and Tehran until March 8, with the additional decision to completely avoid the airspace of Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iran during the same period.
The ripple effect
Unfortunately, cancellations do not only concern destinations in conflict zones. Closing an airspace means redesigning routes, extending flight times and increasing operating costs. For passengers, this translates into missed connections, itineraries to rearrange, refunds to request. For companies, in losses that accumulate day after day. Those who had planned stopovers in Dubai or Doha find themselves with itineraries to redesign, at a time when the Gulf connection network represents one of the cornerstones of intercontinental air traffic.
In short, the fourth day of escalation does not suggest a rapid stabilization. And as long as the skies remain uncertain, companies will continue to grapple with the pressing need to balance safety and balance sheets.
