The escalating conflict initiated after the United States and Israel attacked Iran has begun to significantly disrupt global air cargo flows, particularly across the Middle East, a critical transit corridor linking Asia and Europe. The region serves as a strategic bridge for intercontinental freight, and with two of the world’s largest cargo hubs located there, the impact on global supply chains is immediate and substantial.
Airlines across the region have suspended services, rerouted aircraft to avoid conflict zones, and halted operations at major transshipment hubs including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar following retaliatory missile and drone attacks. Airspace closures have forced carriers to take longer alternative routes, increasing fuel consumption and reducing payload capacity in order to comply with aircraft weight restrictions. These operational adjustments are expected to drive air freight rates higher, particularly on the heavily trafficked Asia–Europe corridor, should disruptions persist.
Major integrators and cargo operators have responded swiftly. They has suspended flights to and from multiple Middle Eastern destinations and temporarily halted pickup and delivery services in several Gulf countries. Regional carriers have also been heavily affected. Qatar Airways halted operations to and from Doha due to national airspace closures, creating backlogs at its global cargo stations. Emirates SkyCargo suspended flights through Dubai following airspace shutdowns and reported minor infrastructure damage at the airport. Etihad Airways paused flights through Abu Dhabi, while Oman Air implemented rerouting strategies and restricted certain sensitive cargo categories such as perishables.
Asian carriers have also adjusted operations. Cathay Pacific suspended both passenger and freighter services to key Middle Eastern destinations, including Dubai and Riyadh. Air India halted flights to the Middle East and reduced services to Europe and North America. Several European and American passenger airlines have similarly suspended routes to Tel Aviv and Dubai, while avoiding large sections of Middle Eastern airspace altogether.
Data from logistics analytics firms indicates that global air cargo capacity has dropped sharply compared to the previous week, largely due to flight suspensions and rerouting decisions. Some Asian freight operators are attempting to compensate by pivoting to alternative routings over Russian airspace where permitted, although geopolitical sanctions and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine continue to complicate air corridor planning.
On the maritime front, the impact is equally pronounced. Major container shipping lines have suspended or diverted services away from the Strait of Hormuz. Emergency and war risk surcharges have been introduced, significantly increasing transportation costs for cargo moving to or through the Arabian/Persian Gulf. Some carriers that had recently resumed Red Sea transits are once again rerouting vessels around the Cape of Good Hope due to renewed security threats from Iran-backed groups in Yemen.
Port operations have also been disrupted. DP World temporarily suspended activities at the Port of Jebel Ali following aerial incidents that caused localized damage. Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been directly targeted, with injuries reported among seafarers aboard attacked vessels. These developments heighten concerns about energy supply stability, which could further influence fuel prices and, by extension, freight rates across all transport modes.
This latest crisis compounds several years of persistent volatility in international supply chains. The global logistics network has already absorbed shocks from the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, Red Sea shipping disruptions, pandemic-era congestion, and escalating tariff regimes. Each event has contributed to reduced resilience, tighter capacity buffers, and heightened cost sensitivity across global trade lanes.
The Middle East, given its geographic centrality, plays an outsized role in both air and ocean freight connectivity between Asia, Europe, and Africa, meaning prolonged instability could have cascading effects on manufacturing, retail inventories, energy markets, and project cargo movements worldwide.
In this rapidly evolving environment, freight markets remain highly sensitive to further escalation, additional airspace closures, or infrastructure damage. Rate volatility, transit delays, and shifting capacity allocations are likely to continue in the near term.
As your trusted logistics partner, we are closely monitoring developments across air and ocean freight networks. We are actively assessing and evaluating solutions to minimize disruption for our clients. We will continue to provide timely updates and operational guidance as the situation unfolds, ensuring our customers remain informed throughout this period of uncertainty.
