Airports under fire, airspace shut: Middle East conflict disrupts air cargo flows

Aviation and airfreight operations across the Middle East are at a standstill as countries closed airspace, airports shut down, and major carriers suspended flights, due to the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran disrupting one of the world’s most critical cargo transfer hubs.

Tim van Leeuwen, Vice President and Head of Consulting at Rotate, wrote on LinkedIn on Sunday, that global capacity is down by 18% in the last 24hrs compared to last week, driven by "Middle East carriers (Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, etc.) suspending all flights, other carriers no longer serving the Gulf either, with no immediate redeployment options, carriers re-routing freighters to different tech stops, or skipping them alltogether (with accompanying payload restrictions). This explains the +22% capacity increase on Asia-Europe caused by airlines either switching tech stops to Central Asia, or flying direct instead." 

The conflict erupted on Saturday, February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched a coordinated military campaign targeting Iranian control facilities, air defence capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields.

In retaliation, Iran fired ballistic and cruise missiles not only at Israeli and US military assets but also at Gulf states, including the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar, escalating the crisis regionally.

Among the most significant disruptions were attacks on air infrastructure. Abu Dhabi dealt with an incident resulting from the interception of a drone that targeted Zayed International Airport, where the interception operation led to the fall of shrapnel, resulting in one death of Asian nationality and 7 injuries, according to an X post from Zayed International Airport.

In Dubai, Iranian projectiles damaged parts of Dubai International Airport (DXB) on Sunday. Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained. “Four staff sustained injuries and received prompt medical attention,” reads the X post from the Dubai Media Office.

In Bahrain, explosions near Manama’s airport on Saturday were part of a broader missile barrage targeting U.S. military assets. A drone launched from Iran struck Kuwait International Airport on February 28, causing light injuries to several airport workers and limited material damage.

Iran’s own Imam Khomeini in Tehran and Isfahan airports were shuttered after nearby military installations were struck during the initial US–Israel offensive. Meanwhile, Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv came under rocket fire from Hezbollah on Sunday, prompting emergency landings and diversions.

Airspace across much of the Middle East has been closed amid escalating conflict, with full shutdowns in Israel, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran, while Saudi Arabia has partially restricted flights near its northern and eastern borders, and Jordan and Lebanon remain open but with limited flight activity.

Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi announced the temporary suspension of UAE airspace, while Dubai Airports halted all operations at Dubai International (DXB) and Al Maktoum International (DWC) until further notice. Major carriers have followed suit. Emirates SkyCargo has suspended flights and restricted new bookings for 24 hours to stabilise operations. Qatar Airways Cargo grounded services due to the Qatari airspace closure, while Etihad Cargo reported disruptions in Abu Dhabi, stressing that flights will only resume through approved safe corridors.

“Due to the current uncertain situation and evolving airspace restrictions, our flights are suspended until 1500hrs UAE time on Tuesday, 3 March, and we are placing temporary restrictions on the booking and acceptance of all new shipments on our flights for the next 24 hours,” reads the Emirates SkyCargo website on Monday, March 2, 2026.

“Rebooking and recovery of impacted shipments due to the disruption are underway. Customers are requested to check shipment status via the tracking service on skycargo.com,” it added.

Meanwhile, Judah Levine, Head of Research at Freightos, warned that “airport closures across Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait and Dubai, and airline suspensions including Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Flydubai, could have broader effects given the region’s role as a transfer hub, though so far air cargo rates into and out of the Middle East have remained stable.”

Global forwarder Scan Global Logistics wrote in a notice, “The situation remains extremely fluid, and while retaliatory strikes by Iran are for now isolated to the Middle East, the impact from a transportation perspective is widespread and profound.”

With March marking India’s financial year-end, for instance, exporters and importers are bracing for delays as recovery and rebooking efforts continue. While some logistics players are reporting that they are affected due to the extra flying hours, others are waiting for more information.