The following outlines the latest updates on shipping industry disruption in the Middle East following military escalations on Saturday, February 28.
Key for Charts below:
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 = Active, normal operations, no delays, stable outlook
Product Statuses:
|
Country/ Emirate |
Air |
Ocean/ OM |
Customs |
Transcon |
Warehousing & Distribution |
|
Abu Dhabi |
Closed |
Partial |
Partial | Active |
Active |
|
Bahrain |
Closed |
Closed |
Closed | Active |
Partial |
|
Dubai |
Closed |
Closed |
Partial | Active |
Partial |
|
Egypt |
Active |
Active |
Active | Active |
Active |
| Israel | Closed | Partial | Closed | Closed | Closed |
|
Jordan |
Active |
Active |
Active | Active |
Partial |
|
Kuwait |
Closed |
Partial |
Closed | Active |
Active |
|
Lebanon |
Partial |
Active |
Partial | Active |
Active |
|
Oman |
Active |
Active |
Active | Active |
Active |
|
Qatar |
Closed |
Closed |
Partial | Active |
Partial |
|
Saudi Arabia |
Active |
Active |
Partial | Active |
Active |
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 |
2026-Mar-02 16:00 |
|
Egypt |
Open |
Elevated alert status |
|
|
Iran |
Closed |
Total airspace closure (all civil operations) |
2026-Mar-03 08:30 |
|
Iraq |
Closed |
Total airspace closure |
2026-Mar-04 09:00 |
|
Israel |
Closed |
Total airspace closure |
2026-Mar-06 10:00 |
|
Jordan |
Restricted |
Daily closure 15:00–06:00 UTC |
Valid through 2026-Mar-05 |
|
Kuwait |
Closed |
Total airspace closure |
2026-Mar-02 16:00 |
|
Lebanon |
Open |
Technically open, but operationally avoided by most carriers |
|
|
Oman |
Open |
Under heightened monitoring |
|
|
Qatar |
Closed |
Total airspace closure |
2026-Mar-02 16:00 |
|
Saudi Arabia |
Restricted |
Northern & Gulf-adjacent sectors closed |
2026-Mar-02 22:00 |
|
Syria |
Closed |
Total airspace closure |
2026-Mar-02 21:00 |
|
United Arab Emirates |
Restricted (ESCAT) |
Emergency Security Control zones limiting civil traffic. Airspace is technically open, but commercial ops are severely constrained. |
2026-Mar-02 12:00 |
Airline Statuses
|
Airline |
Status |
Scope of Restriction |
Valid Until (as stated) |
|
Emirates SkyCargo |
Suspended |
Flights suspended. Temporary restrictions on booking and acceptance of all new shipments for 24 hours. |
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 cancelled. |
Until 14:00 UAE time Tue, Mar 3. |
|
Kuwait Airways |
Suspended |
All inbound and outbound flights are cancelled. |
Not specified |
|
Oman Air |
Operating with restrictions |
Flights to/from AMM, DXB, BAH, DOH, DMM, KWI, CPH, and BGW are cancelled for the day; other flights are operating with potential delays. |
Mar 3 departures |
|
Lufthansa Cargo |
Suspended |
LH Cargo suspends TLV, BEY, AMM, EBL, DMM, and Tehran; Lufthansa Group suspends DXB and AUH; UAE airspace not used; cargo embargo per notice. |
TLV/BEY/AMM/EBL/DMM/Tehran: until Mar 8. DXB/AUH and UAE airspace: until Mar 4. |
|
Turkish Cargo |
Suspended |
IST departures to the listed airports are cancelled per the carrier's notice. |
Valid until 23:59 UTC (including IST departures). |
|
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 cancelled. |
Until Mar 2 at 23:59 GMT. |
Ocean Freight:
As of March 2, 2026, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and more carriers are announcing service suspensions and diversions.
While the situation continues, carriers are assessing alternative discharge and loading ports to keep the flow of cargo going.
ONE and MSC suspended services in and out of the Middle East while CMA and Hapag have restricted reefer cargo bookings for now.
From a commercial outlook standpoint, carriers have announced cost adjustments such as War Risk Surcharges and Emergency Operational fees.
Ports in the Middle East remain operational, except for Jebel Ali, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, where operations are suspended.
Delays are to be expected at all Middle Eastern ports. The slowdown can additionally cause extended container dwell times at ports and potentially increase port congestion in the region.
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 freezone is not operational.
Warehousing & Distribution:
Expeditors warehouse operations across the Middle East are as follows:
|
Location |
Status |
|
Abu Dhabi |
Open |
|
Amman |
Limited Operations |
|
Bahrain |
Limited Operations |
|
Beirut |
Open |
|
Cairo |
Open |
|
Dammam |
Open |
|
Doha |
Limited Operations |
|
Dubai |
Limited Operations, Airport Location Closed |
|
Jeddah |
Open |
|
Kuwait City |
Open |
|
Muscat |
Open |
|
Riyadh |
Open |
Customs Brokerage:
Customs Brokerage operations across the Middle East are highly fragmented, with several key markets operating under partial or full restrictions and elevated uncertainty.
-
Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain are the most impacted, facing airport closures, port limitations, inspection stoppages, and reduced customs staffing, resulting in halted or significantly delayed clearances.
-
Lebanon, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia remain operational but are constrained by customs agency staffing shortages or paused arrivals at specific ports, creating latent risk despite minimal current delays.
-
Oman, Jordan, and Egypt continue to operate normally with stable conditions, no clearance delays, and no customer escalations reported.
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.
