Middle East Tension Escalation Update - March 1, 2026

The following outlines the latest updates on shipping industry disruption in the Middle East following military escalations on Saturday, February 28.

Air Freight:

Countries with Airspace Closed or Severely Restricted based on flight‑tracking data and civil aviation authority notices:

Fully Closed Airspace

• Iran
• Israel
• Iraq
• Qatar
• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Syria (full or corridor‑specific closures)

Partially Closed / Functionally Unavailable

• United Arab Emirates
  ESCAT/security zones in effect; no practical commercial traffic flow.
• Saudi Arabia
  Partial closures, primarily affecting corridors near Iraq and the Gulf.
• Jordan & Lebanon
  Limited, tightly controlled operations only

Emirates SkyCargo

• Flights suspended until 15:00 UAE time, Monday March 2.
• Temporary restrictions are in place on booking and acceptance of all new shipments for the next 24 hours.

EL AL

• All EL AL and Sundor flights to and from Israel that were scheduled to depart through Tuesday, March 1, at 2:00 AM (between March 2 and 3) are canceled.

Etihad Airways

• Flights to and from Abu Dhabi are until 02:00 UAE time, Monday, March 2.

Oman Air

• Flights to/from Amman (AMM), Dubai (DXB), Bahrain (BAH), Doha (DOH), Dammam (DMM), and Kuwait (KWI) due to depart today, Sunday March 1, and tomorrow, Monday, March 2, are cancelled
• Flights to/from Moscow scheduled to depart today, March 1^st, have also been cancelled
• All other flights are operating as scheduled; however, some delay may be expected

Kuwait Airways

• All inbound and outbound flights have been cancelled

Qatar Airways

• Flights to and from Doha are temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace

Saudia Airlines

• Amman
• Kuwait
• Dubai
• Abu Dhabi
• Doha
• Bahrain
• Moscow
• Peshawar

Flights already airborne at the time of the strikes were rerouted to unaffected countries, including Egypt and Turkey. In addition, carriers have temporarily suspended select Middle East routes through at least 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 2. 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.

Ocean Freight:

As of March 1, 2026, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and more carriers are announcing service suspensions and diversions.

Ports in the Middle East, with the exception of Jebel Ali, Bahrain where operations are suspended, and Qatar and Oman (partially suspended), are largely operational.

Delays are to be expected at all Middle Eastern ports where labor could be restricted, affecting trucking, pick-ups, deliveries, terminal, container freight station, and customs clearance operations.

The slowdown can additionally cause extended container dwell times at ports and potentially increase port congestion in the region.

The situation remains fluid. Please contact your local Expeditors representative for the latest cargo status and routing updates.