Asian carriers like Cathay Pacific Airways and Singapore Airlines are among the best-positioned airlines to weather the war in the Middle East as travelers scramble for flights \u2014 and pay huge premiums \u2014 to escape the conflict.<\/p>\n
Asian airlines have emerged as one of the go-to choices for people leaving the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Extensive airspace closures mean carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways QCSC have essentially ground to a halt, creating opportunities for rivals that can fly non-stop between Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n
Passengers in European hubs are handing over huge sums of money to secure a seat to Asia on flights that bypass the Middle East.<\/p>\n
A one-way economy ticket flying Singapore Airlines from Heathrow to Singapore on March 5 costs HK$66,767 ($8,540) \u2014 a 900% increase on fares later in the month. The same ticket on a flight to Hong Kong is HK$26,737, compared with HK$5,670 in just a few weeks from now.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s unclear how long such sky-high fares, which are also helping absorb the surge in oil prices resulting from the war, will last. While prolonged disruptions would underpin higher fares for longer, a resolution to the conflict likely comes with a swift resumption of operations for the region\u2019s carriers given the Middle East\u2019s critical importance to global travel and trade flows.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsian airlines may see a short-term combination of higher fares, stronger cargo yields and modest market share gains,\u201d said Linus Benjamin Bauer, founder of aviation advisory firm BAA & Partners. \u201cBut this is fundamentally a redistribution of traffic, not a structural rebalancing of global aviation networks.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Suspension of regular services by dominant Gulf carriers Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad since Saturday has removed over 10% of daily international flight capacity, as measured in available seat kilometers, according to consultancy OAG Aviation.<\/p>\n
More than 23 000 flights have been canceled through March 5, according to Cirium. While a limited number of evacuation flights from the United Arab Emirates have been allowed, airspace across the Gulf including Qatar, Iran and Iraq remains closed to regular air traffic.<\/p>\n
Middle Eastern hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are key stopover points for long-haul travel. The Gulf\u2019s biggest airports handle about a third of the 125 million people who travel between Europe and Asia each year, according to Roland Berger data.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s hammered global aviation stocks, though hopes of a fast resolution to the war offered some recent relief. The major Middle Eastern carriers aren\u2019t publicly listed but British Airways\u2019 owner IAG SA is down almost 9% this week, Deutsche Lufthansa AG fell 7.7% and Air France-KLM tumbled 15%. Meanwhile, SIA has lost less than 7% and Cathay is down about 5.5%.<\/p>\n
Mainland Chinese carriers may also be well positioned to increase passenger numbers in the absence of the Middle Eastern airlines.<\/p>\n
The likes of Air China and China Eastern Airlines have already been increasing flights to Europe by using Russian airspace \u2014 a route that many rivals have suspended since the invasion of Ukraine, choosing instead to fly between Asia to Europe via Azerbaijan and Georgia.<\/p>\n
Asia stopovers<\/span><\/h3>\nFor some travelers, the sudden attacks will kickstart a longer-term re-think of which routes they take.<\/p>\n
Aiden McAleenan, a 28-year-old registered nurse, had his plans to relocate to Melbourne from the UK thrown into disarray when Qatar Airways canceled his flight on March 3.<\/p>\n
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He was able to re-book with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur on March 4 and said he\u2019s reluctant to fly via the Middle East. \u201cThe stopovers in Asia do look more interesting. In future, I would look at the big hubs in Asia for peace of mind or not being stranded at the airport,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe security situation counts for a lot,\u201d said Association of Asia Pacific Airlines director general Subhas Menon. \u201cClearly the Middle East airlines are under pressure. They definitely will be quite badly affected if this situation is prolonged, while Asian carriers don\u2019t have a security situation so their hubs are in a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Overall, though, industry watchers say consumers are likely to return to the Middle Eastern carriers when safe travel is ensured. The connectivity of airlines\u2019 home airports will continue to be a major selling point, as will their competitive pricing and high-quality service offerings.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrawing on recent incidents, airspace closures following previous attacks did not meaningfully translate to a shift away from the affected country once operations normalized,\u201d DBS Bank analysts Tabitha Foo and Jason Sum said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the scale of the current closures is broader and potentially more disruptive, history suggests that traffic flows tend to revert once airspace reopens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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He was able to re-book with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur on March 4 and said he\u2019s reluctant to fly via the Middle East. \u201cThe stopovers in Asia do look more interesting. In future, I would look at the big hubs in Asia for peace of mind or not being stranded at the airport,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe security situation counts for a lot,\u201d said Association of Asia Pacific Airlines director general Subhas Menon. \u201cClearly the Middle East airlines are under pressure. They definitely will be quite badly affected if this situation is prolonged, while Asian carriers don\u2019t have a security situation so their hubs are in a good place.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Overall, though, industry watchers say consumers are likely to return to the Middle Eastern carriers when safe travel is ensured. The connectivity of airlines\u2019 home airports will continue to be a major selling point, as will their competitive pricing and high-quality service offerings.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrawing on recent incidents, airspace closures following previous attacks did not meaningfully translate to a shift away from the affected country once operations normalized,\u201d DBS Bank analysts Tabitha Foo and Jason Sum said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the scale of the current closures is broader and potentially more disruptive, history suggests that traffic flows tend to revert once airspace reopens.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n