Over six million air passengers to or from the Middle East have had their flights cancelled since the outbreak of war two weeks ago, according to a specialist data company.
Cirium, a provider of air traffic data, reported that more than 52,000 flights have been cancelled between 28 February, when the US-Israeli strikes against Iran began, and Friday, out of over 98,000 initially scheduled.
Using an average aircraft capacity of 242 seats and an 80% occupancy rate, Cirium estimated that more than six million passengers have been affected during this period.
Iran has retaliated by targeting Gulf countries, hitting both US military installations and civilian infrastructure like airports, which led to the closure of airspaces in the region.
Although some airspaces have reopened, major hubs such as Dubai and Doha remain largely inactive. These airports typically thrive as transit points for long-haul passengers due to their strategic location between the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
Before the conflict, Dubai ranked as the world’s second-busiest airport, while Doha rivalled major hubs such as Hong Kong and Frankfurt in traffic.
The near-standstill of these facilities has disrupted global air travel, with passengers particularly stranded in Asia. European and Asian carriers with long-haul fleets have responded by boosting direct routes between the two continents.
Flight cancellation rates in the region, which had peaked at over 65% between 1 and 3 March, have since dropped to 46.5% as of Thursday, Cirium added.
