Middle East Airspace Closures — Impact on Flights & Express Carrier Services

Status: Active — Situation Evolving
Severity: Critical

Background

Following coordinated U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran beginning February 28, 2026, widespread airspace closures have been implemented across the Middle East. At least eight countries — Iran, Iraq, Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Jordan — have fully or partially closed their airspace, shutting down some of the world's busiest aviation hubs including Dubai International (DXB), Hamad International in Doha (DOH), and Zayed International in Abu Dhabi (AUH). More than 3,400 flights have been cancelled and over 19,000 flights delayed globally. Express logistics carriers FedEx, UPS, and DHL have all issued service alerts, with pickup, delivery, and flight operations suspended across multiple Middle Eastern markets.

Cancellations and Diversions

The scale of disruption is unprecedented in recent years. By Sunday, March 1, Flightradar24 reported more than 3,400 cancellations across seven Middle Eastern airports alone. Aviation analytics company Cirium recorded that 22.9% of all flights scheduled to land in the Middle East on Saturday were cancelled, with similar figures on Sunday.

Major Airline Suspensions

Airline	Status	Affected Operations
Emirates	Suspended indefinitely	All Dubai operations
Etihad Airways	Suspended	All Abu Dhabi operations
Qatar Airways	Suspended until further notice	All Doha operations
Lufthansa / SWISS	Suspended until March 7	Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, Erbil, Tehran, Dubai
British Airways	Suspended until March 3	Tel Aviv, Bahrain, Amman
Turkish Airlines	Cancelled	Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, UAE
Cathay Pacific	Cancelled through March 5	Dubai, Riyadh
Air India	Suspended	All Middle East destinations

Hong Kong Impact

Three departures from Hong Kong (including Cathay Pacific flights to Dubai and Riyadh) were cancelled on February 28–March 1, with additional flights delayed for rerouting. Dubai is Hong Kong's sixth-busiest cargo partner, and any prolonged closure will disrupt express freight and high-value shipments between Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Europe.

Express Carrier Service Alerts

FedEx

Status: Flights and services suspended across the Middle East

Flights suspended to and from: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Pickup and delivery services temporarily halted in: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, and the UAE until further notice.
Extended transit times expected for shipments to and from other regional markets.
FedEx does not operate in Iran due to U.S. trade restrictions.

UPS

Status: Monitoring situation, contingency plans activated

UPS has not announced a formal suspension of services but stated: "We are closely monitoring this fluid situation and using established contingency plans to manage our operations safely and efficiently."
International air cargo operations to and from the affected region are expected to be severely disrupted given the airspace closures.
Shippers should anticipate significant delays and potential service suspensions as the situation evolves.

DHL

Status: Operations disrupted across the Middle East

DHL has previously suspended cargo and document shipments to and from conflict-affected Middle Eastern destinations during escalations, and similar measures are expected during this crisis.
DHL Express's hub operations in the UAE, a critical node for Asia–Europe express shipments, are affected by the airspace closure and airport shutdowns.
Shipments routed through Dubai, Doha, or Abu Dhabi hubs will face indefinite delays until those airports resume operations.

What This Means for Our Operations

Immediate Actions

Proactively notify affected customers: Any shipments currently in transit to or from the Middle East via FedEx, UPS, or DHL should be flagged as potentially delayed.
Rate and surcharge monitoring: Air freight rates on Asia–Europe lanes are expected to rise as Dubai is a major hub. Courier may adjust the demand surcharge.
Europe shipment planning: Shipment routing through the Middle East may experience delays as aircraft and crews fall out of position globally.

Expected Recovery Timeline

Airline operations will not immediately return to normal once airspace reopens. Aircraft, crews, and passengers must first be repositioned back into the network. Hub carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad rely on tightly timed connection waves, meaning delays and cancellations may continue for several days after reopening. Industry estimates suggest a full recovery could take 3–7 days from the date airspace restrictions are lifted.

Last Updated on March 2, 2026