TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – When geopolitical conflict escalates in the Middle East, the first thing to change is not only military dynamics or diplomacy, but also the activity of the skies, a.k.a. airspace.
Within hours of the escalation of the conflict between Iran and the coalition of the United States (US) and Israel on February 28, 2026, airspace over much of the Middle East suddenly became silent, empty of civilian flights.
Airways normally busy with thousands of aircraft daily were suddenly silent. The regional conflict suddenly turned into a global mobility crisis.
Several countries in the Gulf region immediately closed their airspace as a precautionary measure.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Oman, and Kuwait were among the countries that restricted or closed airspace operations after missile and drone attacks in the region.
This closure is not just a local policy. Middle Eastern air routes are a key corridor connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa. When this corridor is disrupted, the impact is immediately felt throughout the global aviation network.
In the first few days of the conflict alone, more than 4,000 international flights were canceled daily. Airlines from countries ranging from British Airways, Lufthansa, and Cathay Pacific to Asian carriers temporarily suspended flights to the Gulf region.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded at transit airports or forced to reroute their flights. This situation has even been called the biggest air travel disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the center of this crisis stand cities that have long been key hubs for global mobility, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Doha. Over the past two decades, the Gulf region has developed a highly efficient aviation hub model.
With its geographical position at the center of the route between Asia and Europe, the region's airports are able to connect hundreds of cities worldwide through a single transit point.
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