The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is urging caution as major airspace in the region, including in the GCC, continues to be closed to civil aviation traffic.
“We all hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the current hostilities. In the meantime, states must respect their obligations to protect civilians and civil aviation from harm,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said on Monday.
As of Monday, there were widespread cancellations of scheduled arrival flights in the Middle East, including 74.44% in the UAE, 81.68% in Qatar, 47.42% in Jordan, 96.67% in Bahrain, 13.97% in Saudi Arabia and 22.64% in Oman.
Demand for airlines in the Middle East increased by 7.2% year-on-year. Transportation capacity increased by 7.8% compared to the previous year, and the utilization rate was 83.2% (down 0.4 points from January 2025).
However, events over the weekend have created some uncertainty over the course of traffic and fuel costs. We all hope that the current hostilities will be resolved peacefully at the earliest. In the meantime, countries must respect their obligations to protect civilians and civil aviation from harm,” Walsh said.
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