Middle East Tension Escalation - March 11, 2026

Recent escalations in geopolitical tensions and military activity in the Middle East continue to cause significant disruption across the region. In response, most countries have announced full or partial closures of their airspace, and several have also implemented seaport closures or restrictions. While airspace, airports, and seaports in certain locations may be closed or constrained, Expeditors’ offices in the region remain operational under a work from home posture and continue to support affected customers.

The details in this Operational Impact summarize regional events and information from the previous day. For the latest updates, contact your local Expeditors representative.

This is a fluid situation occurring within a war zone, with the potential for rapid change. Accordingly, the charts are intended to provide a high-level summary of the current infrastructure status, government regulations, and operational conditions that may impact Expeditors’ ability to provide services. Additional details can be found in the individual product updates in the sections that follow.

Red = Closed, suspended, or materially restricted operations, no releases, closures, or airport/port shutdowns
Amber = Limited operations, partial restrictions, delays, inspections not occurring, high uncertainty
Green = Operational, but shipments may still experience delays

Product Impact Summary

Air Freight

The situation remains fluid, and planned frequencies are subject to change based on ongoing approvals from the relevant authorities.

Emirates and Etihad Airways continue to operate a reduced passenger flight schedule. Emirates plans to operate a full schedule on its freighter network from mid-March.

Israeli airspace remains closed to routine civil aviation. However, selected freighter and repatriation flights are operating into and out of Tel Aviv (TLV) with prior government and security approvals. These flights are limited in frequency and capacity and are primarily supporting essential cargo movements and national repatriation requirements.

Following temporary authorization from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirming limited operating corridors, Qatar Airways is operating a limited flight schedule to support passengers affected by the current disruption.

Qatar Cargo operates a limited number of Qatar Airways Cargo freighters that are not routed through Doha.

All permitted movements across the region remain subject to short‑notice cancellation or delay.

Airspace Status

Note: The fact that a NOTAM or carrier notice has expired does not necessarily mean that the situation has returned to normal.

Airline Status – Middle Eastern Carriers

Airline Status – Other Carriers to the Middle East

Ocean Freight

As of March 11, all Middle Eastern ports, except Salalah, are operational, with priority given to vessel berthing, discharging, and pushing out for deliveries.

The Strait of Hormuz remains completely closed to commercial shipping, resulting in suspension of carrier services to and from the Gulf area.

Frequent changes to vessel schedules and port rotations are becoming a regular occurrence.

Several carriers have announced via their websites, or other notices, the rerouting or termination of the bill of lading at an alternative port, using the “Liberties” clause on the back of their bill of lading.

Containers are being discharged at various Middle East and Indian Subcontinent ports, mainly Sohar and Salalah in Oman, Khorfakkan in the UAE, Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Mundra in India. Congestion is starting to build up at Khorfakkan port. Customers are directed to take deliveries across the region or rebook to ensure delivery to the final destination.  

Carriers have slowly opened export bookings via Jeddah and Salalah to Europe, and import bookings via the Cape of Good Hope or the Bab el Mandab Strait.

 Ocean Carrier Status

Ground (Transcon) Freight

LTL services in and out of Bahrain began operating on March 10. Ground transportation services across the region are largely available. We continue to actively manage capacity and routing to support ongoing customer shipments as regional conditions evolve.

• FTL service is  available throughout the region
• LTL is operating as usual with previously planned departures
• Transcon services are available in Israel, including White Glove services
•  Multimodal services – From ports in KSA or Oman with onward trucking to any GCC or Levant destination are available 
• As ground service providers begin to reposition equipment in the region and freight flows change,  we continue to see increased rate pressure in all areas 

Warehousing & Distribution

Expeditors’ warehouse operations across the Middle East are as follows: 

Customs Brokerage

Customs and port operations across the Middle East remain disrupted and inconsistent, with several markets operating at varying levels of restriction.  While some locations are stabilizing, clearance timelines and shipment flow continue to be impacted by airport closures, port limitations, inspection delays, and reduced customs authority capacity. 

• Experiencing Significant Constraints  

  In the United Arab Emirates, customs operations continue to show incremental improvement, with functional clearance ongoing; however, constraints persist due to recent delays – particularly involving Sharjah Customs – as well as export suspensions and delays in Abu Dhabi, where processing remains prioritized for pharmaceutical and military goods.  Bahrain is operating under slightly eased restrictions, with limited, time-bound airport and seaport activity underway, partial inspections and releases occurring, and new arrivals being accepted.  Kuwait also continues to show gradual improvement, though operations remain constrained by reduced customs authority staffing and a closed airport.   

• Operating with Constraints 

  Lebanon, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia remain operational with varying constraints. Lebanon continues to experience delays due to customs authority staffing shortages; Qatar has stabilized, with seaport operations resumed and restrictions now limited to air arrivals only; and Saudi Arabia remains stable, though new arrivals at Dammam seaport are paused. 

• Operating

  Oman, Jordan, and Egypt continue to operate, with minimal to no clearance delays currently reported.

   

Shipments may experience delays beyond standard clearance timelines or may be unable to clear until conditions stabilize. 

All Expeditors locations remain operational at this time. For additional insight into current service offerings and capabilities, please contact your local Expeditors representative.

Expeditors provides Operational Impact updates from time to time as a complimentary service for our customers seeking general information to help them navigate supply chain disruptions. We draw from publicly available sources that we believe to be reliable. That said, supply chain disruption events are inherently fluid and complex. Operational Impact information may be incomplete or inaccurate, or may differ for your supply chain. Please contact your local Expeditors representative for the latest cargo status and routing updates for your supply chain circumstances.