Middle East

Following the military escalation between the US, Israel, and Iran on 28 February–1 March 2026, sea operations across the Middle East have been significantly disrupted. The situation remains fluid. This page will be updated as new information becomes available.

For the majority of Asia-Europe container shipments, the operational picture has not materially changed: Cape of Good Hope routing has been the standard since January 2024, and transit times on those lanes remain as they have been. What has changed is that Gulf-origin and Gulf-destination cargo is now directly affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Country	Seaports	Overall
UAE	Jebel Ali, Hamriya, Sharjah: all fully operational. Khor Fakkan: open, full capacity. Fujairah: two fire incidents in adjacent oil zone — contained; port operations normal. GPS signal spoofing and jamming reported offshore Fujairah. Ruwais: operating at ISPS Security Level 2.	⚠ Recovering
Saudi Arabia	All ports operating normally.	✓ Operational
Qatar	Mesaieed and Ras Laffan: both operational. Significant GPS signal degradation reported at both ports — vessels advised to navigate with extreme caution, cross-check positions using alternative systems, and report irregularities to VTS. Qatar Ministry of Transport has instructed shipping lines to continue operations without interruption.	⚠ Partial
Kuwait	Shuwaikh and Shuaiba: both operational under ISPS Security Level 2. Berths 12 and 13 at Shuwaikh functioning normally for container vessels. Major crude and product terminals operational. Maritime traffic uninterrupted.	⚠ Recovering
Bahrain	Khalifa Bin Salman Port (APM Terminal): cargo operations suspended until further notice; berthing and unberthing managed case by case with limited ship movements. Sitrah: operational for emergency movements only. Bahrain Steel: not operating.	🔴 Disrupted
Iraq	Basrah Oil Terminal: fully operational; all SPMs functioning normally, no disruption to crude loading. Khor Al Zubair and Umm Qasr: operating normally.	✓ Operational
Oman	Sohar and Mina Al Fahal: operating normally. Duqm and Salalah (General Cargo and Liquid Terminals): suspended until further notice following drone incidents confirmed by Oman News Agency. One crew member killed in a vessel strike off the Omani coast.	⚠ Partial
Jordan	Ports operating normally.	✓ Operational
Iran	Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to commercial traffic.	🔴 Disrupted
Egypt	Ain Sokhna: CMA CGM bookings suspended. All other ports normal.	⚠ Partial

Red Sea and Suez Canal
Cape of Good Hope routing continues as the operational baseline for all Asia-Europe services. For customers on these lanes: no change to current transit times.

Strait of Hormuz
Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen sharply since 1 March 2026. While no formal legal closure has been declared, IRGC radio warnings confirmed by UKMTO and EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, active kinetic incidents, and individual carrier decisions have led most vessels to avoid transit.

This primarily affects cargo originating from or destined for Gulf countries — UAE, Saudi Arabia (Eastern Province), Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, and Oman. For the majority of container shipments on Asia-Europe lanes that do not touch Gulf ports, the Hormuz situation does not affect routing.

Following the military escalation between the US, Israel, and Iran on 28 February–4 March 2026, Air Freight operations across the Middle East have been significantly disrupted. Several countries in the region have implemented temporary airspace closures or restrictions, leading to widespread flight cancellations and operational adjustments by airlines.

The largest impact is the reduced availability of cargo capacity via key Gulf hub airports, particularly Dubai (DXB/DWC), Doha (DOH), and Abu Dhabi (AUH). These hubs normally serve as major transit points for Air Freight moving between Asia, Europe, and Africa.

While some airports and airlines continue operating with adjusted routings, many carriers have suspended or reduced services to the region, resulting in limited uplift capacity and longer transit times.

Air Freight flows between Asia and Europe remain operational, with airlines increasingly relying on direct long-haul flights or alternative hubs such as Istanbul. However, customers may experience temporary capacity constraints, schedule changes, and rate volatility while the situation evolves.

Country	Airports	Overall
UAE	Dubai International (DXB) and Al Maktoum International (DWC): primary regional cargo hubs. Passenger and cargo operations partially affected by regional airspace restrictions and airline cancellations. Limited cargo uplift available depending on airline schedules.	⚠ Partial
UAE	Abu Dhabi (AUH): significant disruption due to suspension of operations by several Gulf carriers. Limited cargo operations and repositioning flights possible.	🔴 Disrupted
Qatar	Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH): major global cargo hub. Operations significantly impacted following closure of Qatari airspace; most commercial cargo flights suspended.	🔴 Disrupted
Saudi Arabia	Riyadh (RUH) and Jeddah (JED): airports remain open and operational. Cargo operations continue with increased traffic due to regional rerouting.	✓ Operational
Kuwait	Kuwait International Airport (KWI): operations restricted due to regional airspace disruptions. Cargo movements are possible but subject to operational constraints and airline availability.	⚠ Partial
Bahrain	Bahrain International Airport (BAH): limited cargo operations. Several airline suspensions impacting uplift capacity.	⚠ Partial
Oman	Muscat (MCT) and Salalah (SLL): airports operational; cargo operations continuing with some schedule adjustments.	✓ Operational
Jordan	Queen Alia International Airport (AMM): operating normally with cargo services continuing.	✓ Operational
Iraq	Baghdad (BGW) and Erbil (EBL): operations restricted due to regional security situation and airspace considerations.	🔴 Disrupted
Egypt	Cairo (CAI): major cargo gateway for the region and alternative routing hub. Cargo operations continued normally.	✓ Operational
Turkey	Istanbul Airport (IST): functioning as an important alternative cargo hub linking Asia and Europe as Gulf hubs face disruptions.	✓ Operational

 

Airline	Operations	Overall
Emirates SkyCargo	Operations significantly reduced following regional airspace closures. Limited cargo flights operating primarily to reposition aircraft and clear backlog cargo.	⚠ Partial
Qatar Airways Cargo	Operations largely suspended following closure of Qatari airspace. Cargo acceptance restricted until further notice.	🔴 Disrupted
Etihad Cargo	Passenger and cargo flights from Abu Dhabi suspended or heavily restricted. Limited operational activity possible depending on airspace access.	🔴 Disrupted
Turkish Airlines Cargo	Continuing operations with rerouting around restricted airspace. Istanbul functions as a key cargo transit hub for Asia–Europe shipments.	✓ Operational
Lufthansa Cargo	Flights to several Middle East destinations suspended. Long-haul cargo operations continue with rerouting around affected airspace.	⚠ Partial
Cargolux	Middle East destinations temporarily suspended. Asia–Europe freighter operations continue, e.g. operating into MCT airport still.	⚠ Partial
Saudia Cargo	Partial operations continue. Some regional routes were suspended or adjusted due to airspace restrictions.	⚠ Partial
Silk Way West Airlines	Operating selected cargo flights via alternative corridors avoiding restricted airspace. Already  backlogs reported and further extending.	✓ Operational

Air cargo operations across the Middle East are currently experiencing significant disruption due to regional airspace closures and airline suspensions following the escalation of military activity on 28 February–4 March 2026.

The largest impact stems from the temporary loss of key Gulf cargo hubs, particularly:

• Doha (DOH)
• Dubai (DXB/DWC)
• Abu Dhabi (AUH)

These airports typically serve as major transit hubs connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, and reduced operations have removed substantial belly and freighter capacity from the market.

Forwarders and airlines are increasingly relying on alternative routing options, including:

• Direct Asia → Europe freighter flights
• Istanbul (IST) as a consolidation hub
• Northern corridors via Central Asia

As a result, customers may experience:

• Longer transit times
• Limited cargo capacity
• Short-term rate volatility