The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has forced the cancellation of tens of thousands of flights across the Middle East. In the days after the initial strikes, airlines that once relied on airspace over Iran and nearby countries have been scrambling to find alternatives.
The result is that planes burn more fuel as they travel longer distances with higher passenger fares — if passengers can fly at all.
Airspace restrictions have become an increasingly common challenge for airlines navigating a world shaped by geopolitical conflict. Flights must regularly avoid regions deemed unsafe for civilian aircraft, from conflict zones to areas where other military activity poses risks.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 closed one of the busiest flight corridors in the Northern Hemisphere. Western airlines were banned from Russian airspace, forcing many Europe-Asia flights to take longer southern routes.
Now, effects from the fresh conflict in the Middle East are rippling across the region, further fragmenting a once efficient and finely tuned global aviation network.
Where airspaces are currently risky or dangerous
Some flights have been repeatedly diverted. Before 2022, flights between much of Europe and Asia followed a path over Russia, using what aviation planners call the Siberian Corridor.
What was once a relatively direct connection between continents is becoming a patchwork of workarounds.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Western airlines lost access to the nearby airspace. In January 2022, a flight from Helsinki, Finland, to Tokyo flew directly over Russia. It now alternates longer flight paths — a southern route around the Black Sea and a northern route over the North Pole. Both routes added over three hours to the flight’s original nine hours — raising costs and carbon emissions.
How the Helsinki-to-Tokyo flight has changed its route over time
Around the same time, a flight to Bangkok from Helsinki had to reroute south, crossing the Middle East. The detour added about an hour to its flight time.
Now, with new fighting closing Middle Eastern airspace, Finnair was again forced to reroute Flight AY141.
How the Helsinki-to-Bangkok flight has zigzagged over time
Flights in the Persian Gulf region remain well below normal levels. The airspace in and around Iran, Iraq, Syria, Bahrain and Qatar continues to be largely devoid of commercial planes.
By Sunday, one week after the most flight cancellations, flight traffic had begun to return at some airports that were largely closed in the days after the war began. Dubai International Airport, which was closed a week before, had just over 500 departures and landings on Sunday.
Where flights have begun to return
Dubai International is typically one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, averaging about 1,200 departures and landings a day. It, like many airports in the region, is still operating far below its standard capacity.
