--- title: Middle East Airspace Closures — Impact on Flights & Express Carrier Services description: Middle East airspace closures after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran are disrupting global flights and delaying FedEx, UPS, and DHL services across key routes --- [Skip to content](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/en/middle-east-airspace-closures-impact-on-flights-express-carrier-services#main-content) - [English](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/en/middle-east-airspace-closures-impact-on-flights-express-carrier-services) - [中文 - 香港](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/zh-hk/中東空域關閉-對航班及速遞承運商服務的影響) English Show submenu for translations ![Logo 2.png\]](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo%202.png?height=40&name=Logo%202.png) Open main navigation Close main navigation - - [English](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/en/middle-east-airspace-closures-impact-on-flights-express-carrier-services) - [中文 - 香港](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/zh-hk/中東空域關閉-對航班及速遞承運商服務的影響) English Show submenu for translations - [Go to spaceshipapp.com](https://www.spaceshipapp.com/) [Go to spaceshipapp.com](https://www.spaceshipapp.com/) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Help Center](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/en) 2. [Latest News](https://support.spaceshipapp.com/en/latest-news) # Middle East Airspace Closures — Impact on Flights & Express Carrier Services ## How Middle East airspace shutdowns are disrupting global flights and express delivery services (FedEx, UPS, DHL) #### **Status:** Partial Serice Resumed **Severity:** Medium #### Updated on May 4 2026 We are reopening certain Middle East lanes with strict carrier rules: - Resumed destinations: UAE (AE), Qatar (QA), Iraq (IQ), Kuwait (KW), Bahrain (BH). - FedEx: Only **International** Priority (IP) is allowed to these five countries; IE, IPE and ICP must stay disabled. - Spaceship Air: All services to these five countries are now available again. - UPS: No change — all Middle East lanes remain suspended. --- #### **Status:** Active — Situation Evolving **Severity:** Critical #### Updated on March 30 2026 The logistics situation in the Middle East remains highly unstable. Carriers and global forwarders continue to report severe disruption, rerouting and capacity constraints across the region. While some routes are being partially reopened and diverted via alternative hubs, transit times and success rates are still far from normal. Given the very high operational and security risks, Spaceship has decided to temporarily suspend Middle East shipments and closely **monitor** the situation rather than resume standard service immediately. We will only consider a controlled resumption once partners confirm that operations have stabilized to a manageable level in terms of safety, reliability, and return risk. --- #### **Status:** Active — Situation Evolving **Severity:** Critical Updated on March 3, 2026 **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,UPS,DHL,Spaceship Air** **Status: Flights and services suspended across the Middle East** **Last Update:** 3 Mar 2026​ - **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, including Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. - FedEx does not operate in Iran due to U.S. trade restrictions. #### **Aramex** **Status: Accept shipments but will not operate until flights resume.** **Last Update:** 3 Mar 2026​   --- ### **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. 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. 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