The following outlines the latest updates on shipping industry disruption in the Middle East following military escalations on Saturday, February 28.
This is a fluid situation in a war zone, with the potential for rapid change. Please see individual Product updates in the sections below for more details.
Red = Closed, suspended, or materially restricted operations, no releases, closures, or airport/port shutdowns
Amber = Partial, open but disrupted (partial restrictions, delays, inspections not occurring, high uncertainty)
Green = Operational, but shipments may still experience delays
Product Status
|
Country / Emirate |
Air |
Ocean / OM |
Customs |
Transcon |
Warehousing & Distribution |
|
Abu Dhabi |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Operational |
Operational |
|
Bahrain |
Closed |
Closed |
Restricted |
Operational |
Restricted |
|
Dubai |
Restricted |
Closed |
Restricted |
Operational |
Restricted |
|
Egypt |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Operational |
Operational |
Operational |
|
Israel |
Closed |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Closed |
Closed |
|
Jordan |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Operational |
Operational |
Restricted |
|
Kuwait |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Operational |
Operational |
|
Lebanon |
Closed |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Operational |
Operational |
|
Oman |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Operational |
Operational |
Operational |
|
Qatar |
Closed |
Closed |
Restricted |
Operational |
Restricted |
|
Saudi Arabia |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Restricted |
Operational |
Operational |
Air Freight
Flights already airborne at the time of the strikes were rerouted to unaffected countries, including Egypt and Turkey. Carriers continue to suspend select Middle East routes as conditions evolve. We are continuing to assess the impact these developments may have on air capacity both into and out of the Middle East, as well as globally.
Airspace Statuses
|
Country |
Status |
Scope of Restriction |
NOTAM Expiry UTC |
|
Bahrain |
Closed |
Total airspace closure |
Unit further notice |
|
Egypt |
Open |
Increased traffic advisories |
N/A |
|
Iran |
Closed |
Total airspace closure (all civil operations) |
Unit further notice |
|
Iraq |
Closed |
Total airspace closure |
Unit further notice |
|
Israel |
Closed |
Israeli airspace is closed to all civil flights, but we do see selected freighter are operating |
Unit further notice |
|
Jordan |
Restricted |
Civil traffic is subject to air defense operations |
Rolling – expires ~03 Mar 2026 2359 UTC |
|
Kuwait |
Restricted |
Flights to/from Iran suspended |
Rolling – expires ~04 Mar 2026 0001 UTC |
|
Lebanon |
Closed |
Civil arrivals, departures, and overflights are not permitted. |
Until further notice |
|
Oman |
Open |
No closure; congestion advisories only |
N/A |
|
Qatar |
Closed |
Total airspace closure |
2026-Mar-02 16:00 |
|
Saudi Arabia |
Restricted |
Air traffic control flow restrictions and rerouting |
Advisory – no closure expiry |
|
Syria |
Restricted |
Southern corridors are intermittently closed |
Time-limited (12h rolling) |
|
United Arab Emirates |
Restricted |
Temporary and partial airspace closures. |
Rolling – expires ~03 Mar 2026 1800 UTC |
Airline Statuses
|
Airline |
Status |
Scope of Restriction |
Valid Until (as stated) |
|
Emirates SkyCargo |
Suspended |
Emirates has begun operating a limited number of flights commencing on the evening of 2 March. As part of this phased resumption, they are prioritizing clearing the cargo that is on hand. All other flights remain suspended until further notice. EK maintains temporary restrictions on the booking and acceptance of all new shipments until further clarity on the operational schedule. However, cargo with a destination in the UAE may be accepted, subject to confirmation of flight operations by the local office. |
Until 15:00 UAE time Tue, Mar 3 (flight suspension). 24 hours (new shipment booking / acceptance restriction). |
|
EL AL |
Suspended |
All EL AL and Sundor flights to and from Israel have been canceled. |
Through 2:00 AM (between Mar 2 and 3). |
|
Etihad Airways |
Suspended |
All scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi have been canceled. |
Until 14:00 UAE time Tue, Mar 3. |
|
Kuwait Airways |
Suspended |
All inbound and outbound flights canceled. |
Not specified |
|
Oman Air |
Operating with restrictions |
Flights to/from AMM, DXB, BAH, DOH, DMM, KWI, CPH, and BGW are canceled for the day; other flights are operating with potential delays. |
Mar 3 departures |
|
Lufthansa Cargo |
Suspended |
LH Cargo suspends TLV, BEY, AMM, EBL, DMM, Tehran; Lufthansa Group suspends DXB, AUH, Larnaca; UAE and Cyprus airspace not used; bookings to TLV, BEY, AMM, EBL, DMM, AUH, DXB (DXB/DWC) suspended; Riyadh operational again (no transport restrictions); cargo embargo per notice. |
TLV/BEY/AMM/EBL/DMM/Tehran: until Mar 8. DXB/AUH/Larnaca and UAE/Cyprus airspace: until Mar 6. Bookings (TLV/BEY/AMM/EBL/DMM/AUH/DXB/DWC): until 12 Mar 2026 23:59 (local time).
|
|
Turkish Cargo |
Suspended |
All DOH, KWI, BAH, DXB, DWC, AUH, DMM flights canceled; all Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan flights canceled. |
Valid through March 04 (24h extension); Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan remains through March 06. |
|
Qatar Airways |
Suspended |
Flight operations are temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. |
Until further notice (next update scheduled Mar 3 at 09:00 Doha time / 06:00 UTC). |
|
Cathay Group |
Suspended |
Suspended Middle East operations; DXB and RUH passenger services suspended; DWC freighter services suspended; flights rerouted. |
Dubai passenger: through Mar 5. Riyadh passenger: through Mar 3. |
|
Air France KLM |
Suspended |
Flights to/from Dubai (DXB + DWC), Riyadh (RUH), Dammam (DMM), Beirut (BEY), and Tel Aviv (TLV) are suspended. |
Until further notice (bookings blocked up to and including March 3, 2026). |
|
Cargolux |
Suspended |
Suspended all Middle East stops. |
Until further notice. |
|
Saudia Cargo |
Operating with restrictions |
Resuming network operations except AUH, DOH, DXB, and KWI suspended; operational adjustments; rating updates expected via local teams. |
AUH/DOH/DXB/KWI suspended until further notice. |
|
Saudia Airlines |
Suspended |
Flights to/from AMM, KWI, DXB, AUH, DOH, BAH, Moscow, and Peshawar have been canceled. |
Until Mar 2 at 23:59 GMT. |
|
China Cargo
|
Suspended
|
Flight operations to AUH, DXB, and RUH are suspended. |
Until further notice. |
|
Gulf Air |
Suspended
|
Flight operations to BAH are suspended.
|
Until further notice.
|
|
Singapore Airlines
|
Operating with restrictions |
Booking stop to DXB.
|
Mar 2 to Mar 7 to DXB. |
Ocean Freight
As of March 3, 2026, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and more carriers are announcing service suspensions and diversions. There are several vessels on either side of the strait and in the strait as well. A total of 5 vessels have been hit in the conflict, 4 while trying to transit the strait and one in the port of Bahrain.
Carriers are increasingly suspending bookings to and from the Gulf and, in some cases, also the Red Sea.
CMA, ONE, and MSC have suspended services in and out of the Middle East, while Hapag & Maersk continue to watch bookings but, for now, have restricted reefer and hazardous cargo bookings. If this situation continues, we anticipate that many or all carriers will follow suit and cease all acceptance to the Gulf.
As of today, carriers are still assessing alternative discharge and loading ports to keep the flow of cargo going; potentially Oman, Sohar, Salalah, UAE - Khor Fakkan, Fujairah, and Colombo, but yet to firm discharge ports. In some cases, carriers are looking to make these decisions based on each vessel.
From a commercial outlook standpoint, carriers have announced cost adjustments such as War Risk Surcharges, Emergency Operational fees, and Contingency Surcharge.
Ports in the Middle East are operational, with the exception of Jebel Ali, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, where operations are temporarily suspended. Ports in Saudi Arabia have also seen short windows of closure.
Delays at all Middle Eastern ports continue to intensify, and the slowdown can also cause extended container dwell times at ports, detention and demurrage, and a potential increase in port congestion in the region.
Additionally, we see some impact in the Indian Subcontinent, with Middle East cargo and bookings going on hold. A large inventory of containers sitting at Mundra is unable to ship or even withdraw from the port. leading to potential congestion in this port.
Ground Freight
From Dubai to all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Jordan, and Egypt:
-
FTL service is fully available
-
LTL is operating as usual with previously planned departures
From all GCC countries, Egypt, and Jordan to the UAE and other GCC destinations:
-
Services remain available and can be arranged
LTL to Bahrain is temporarily closed as the free zone is not operational.
Warehousing & Distribution
Expeditors warehouse operations across the Middle East are as follows:
|
Location |
Status |
|
Abu Dhabi |
Limited Operations |
|
Amman |
Limited Operations |
|
Bahrain |
Limited Operations |
|
Beirut |
Open |
|
Cairo |
Open |
|
Dammam |
Open |
|
Doha |
Limited Operations |
|
Dubai |
Limited Operations |
|
Jeddah |
Open |
|
Kuwait City |
Open |
|
Muscat |
Open |
|
Riyadh |
Open |
Customs Brokerage
Customs and port operations across the Middle East remain disrupted and inconsistent, with several markets operating under restrictions that continue to impact clearance timelines and shipment flow.
-
Experiencing Significant Constraints
While Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are showing slight improvement, it—along with Bahrain—continues to experience significant disruption driven by airport closures, port limitations, inspection stoppages, and reduced customs staffing. Shipments may experience delays beyond standard clearance timelines or may be unable to clear until conditions stabilize.
-
Operating with Constraints
Lebanon, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia remain operational but are subject to ongoing constraints, including customs staffing shortages and paused arrivals at select ports. Some shipments are clearing; however, conditions remain fluid, and delays may emerge with limited notice.
-
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.
Expeditors provides Operational Impact updates from time to time as a complementary service for our customers who seek 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.
