Commercial aviation across the Gulf has been severely disrupted by recent hostilities involving Iran that have introduced attack drones and missile strikes into the region, interfering with operations at primary airport hubs and prompting widespread changes to flight routing.
Following the initial strikes on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces on February 28, several state-backed carriers registered precipitous declines in scheduled flights, with counts falling to almost zero in the immediate aftermath. The group of carriers most affected includes Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Qatar Airways and Air Arabia.
Operations out of the United Arab Emirates - which cover the Dubai and Abu Dhabi hubs - have not remained suspended but have only gradually come back online. Data from Flightradar24.com indicate traffic has resumed in a limited form, yet activity remains substantially below the pre-conflict baselines.
The degree of restoration has not been uniform across carriers. Dubai-based Emirates has managed to recover roughly three-quarters of its capacity that existed before the strikes. By contrast, Air Arabia and Etihad have each returned to about half of their typical operating levels. Flydubai is functioning at about one-third of its pre-conflict capacity, while Qatar Airways is operating at roughly 20% of the levels seen before the attacks, according to Flightradar24.com.
The upheaval has had several commercial and operational consequences. Passenger demand and fares have been affected, producing revenue pressure on carriers. In addition, the conflict has fed upward pressure on jet fuel costs; airlines that lack hedges against oil prices face particular exposure to those increases. The disruptions have not been confined to the immediate region - schedules across Europe and Asia have been altered, some airlines have grounded aircraft temporarily, and flights have been extended in duration when aircraft must detour around conflict zones.
These developments reflect a combination of security-driven airspace constraints and the economic effects that follow when major hubs reduce operations. While some carriers have cautiously restored services, data show substantial variance in recovery pace and remaining operational risk for carriers and markets tied to Gulf aviation corridors.
Source of operational data: Flightradar24.com.