Aviation Conflict risk leads Gulf airlines to cancel regional routes By Chris Hamill-Stewart October 4, 2024, 2:32 PM Reuters/Ahmed Saad Flight information screens at Beirut's Rafi-Hariri airport. Gulf airlines have been hit hard by flight disruption amid the escalating conflict in the region Gulf carriers’ growth hit Airspace disrupted Flights to 5 countries cancelled Gulf airlines are among airlines that have cancelled and rerouted flights across the Middle East as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates. They are avoiding Iranian airspace and many have cancelled routes entirely following a major missile attack by Iran against Israel on Tuesday. Immediately after the attacks about 80 flights operated by carriers including Emirates and Qatar Airways bound for major Middle East hubs were diverted to places including Cairo, Istanbul, and European cities, data from FlightRadar24 showed. Most strategic changes to flights to avoid parts of the Middle East have been lifted, but as a security measure many regional carriers have stopped servicing routes to affected locations. Emirates has cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, and Iran on October 4 and 5, having earlier suspended flights to Lebanon until October 8. Etihad Airways has also cancelled routes, suspending flights to Lebanon and Tel Aviv until October 7. Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon, but has not said when it expects these to resume. Conflict will severely disrupt Middle East logistics Etihad Airways to invest billions as it prepares for IPO Regional airlines will remain fluid in the Israel-Iran conflict The disruption to the region’s industry comes at a bad time for Middle Eastern carriers, which saw a 4.9 percent year-on-year increase in demand in August 2024 compared to the previous year. This is far below the figures clocked by regions like Europe and Asia Pacific – and below the global average increase in passenger demand of 8.6 percent. Many other carriers from Europe, North America, and Africa have also cancelled flights or rerouted them away from Iran, Israel, and Lebanon in response to escalating regional tensions. This has caused congestion in other regional hubs, such as Turkey. FlightRadar24 said Istanbul and Antalya in southern Turkey were now becoming congested, forcing some airlines to divert south. Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for FlightRadar24, said: “Most airlines have rerouted flights away from Iran, with the northern route taking flights through Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India on their way to Asia, and the southern route flying over Egypt and Saudi Arabia.” Middle Eastern airlines also had among the lowest load factors globally, a measurement of the percentage of available seating capacity that has been filled with passengers. They measured 82.5 percent on load factor — 0.6 percent lower than in the previous year, according to the International Air Transport Association. That figure is also well below the global average load factor of 86.2 percent, which is a record high. Only African airlines carried fewer passengers on average, with a load factor of 77 percent.
