War Tightens the Skies: Middle East Airspace Gap Upends Global Flight Paths
Rising US-Israel strikes on Iran and Iran’s missile/drones responses have shuttered or restricted multiple Middle East Flight Information Regions, creating a 2.8 million square kilometer gap in airspace. Airlines are rerouting north via the Caucasus or south through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, producing bottlenecks, longer routes, higher fuel costs, and widespread delays and cancellations. Dubai and other regional hubs are heavily affected, though some flights resume under strict permissions; the disruption is costly and likely to persist.
