Iran war forces air cargo reroutes

Airlines are demonstrating contingency planning as they seek to limit disruption to air cargo caused by the Iran war. The emergence of Muscat, Oman (MCT), as an alternative hub is one example of how the industry is adapting to disrupted airspace and airport closures across the Middle East. [caption id="attachment_57295913" align="aligncenter" width="1367"] Muscat is connected to markets in India, Southeast Asia and Europe. (Courtesy/Oman Airports)[/caption] “Oman has always been a logistics gateway for the region, and with reliable service and strong airport and warehouse infrastructure in place, we are focused on maintaining stability for customers while responding to evolving market needs,” Mike Duggan, head of Oman Air Cargo, told Cargo Facts . “We are working closely with customs authorities in Oman and the United Arab Emirates to maintain efficient cargo flows, and we are assessing additional capacity to support the market. This includes the potential reintroduction of Boeing 737 freighter services between Muscat and Dubai if trucking options become constrained.” Muscat already handles daily perishables shipments due to Oman’s strong connectivity with markets in India, Southeast Asia and Europe, Duggan said. The airport is also exploring opportunities to support perishables demand in the United Arab Emirates. “In addition, we are looking to bring forward the introduction of widebody freighter capacity from the second or third quarter of this year as we respond to increased demand across the region.,” he said. Secondary hubs absorb traffic Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways are seeing record load factors as they become the default choice for cargo avoiding Gulf transit, Jenan Hasan, an analyst at research consultancy Ti Insight, wrote in a recent air cargo market report titled “Alternative air freight routes as Gulf airspace closes.” “With Gulf airspace largely off the table, carriers have been forced into one of two detours: north through the Caucasus via Armenia and Azerbaijan, then across Afghan airspace via the Kabul Flight Information Region, or south through Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Oman,” the report states. Both corridors remain open, but neither was built for this volume of traffic. After drone strikes on Duqm Port, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a conflict zone bulletin covering Oman at all altitudes. Hasan also noted that Istanbul Airport (IST) is operating normally and absorbing a significant share of diverted regional cargo. Central Asian airports such as Almaty (ALA) in Kazakhstan and Tbilisi (TBS) in Georgia are handling more diverted aircraft than ever. Silk Way West Airlines has continued operating its freighters, rerouting via the Caucasus corridor, she added. While air freight capacity is improving, it remains unstable, DHL Global Forwarding said in its latest Middle East update issued today. Backlogs in Europe and Asia have been cleared and capacity is increasing, but airport closures and fuel shortages continue to cause fluctuations. DHL estimated last week that UAE carriers were operating at about 50% capacity with new hubs emerging in Riyadh and Oman. The volatility of the situation was highlighted when flights at Dubai International Airport (DXB) were suspended today for several hours after a drone attack from Iran caused a fuel tank fire. Cargo Facts will present four invaluable events for airfreight professionals in 2026, the next of which is <a class="Hyperlink SCXW113043295 BCX0" style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://cargofactsevents.com/asia/?utm_campaign=22235567-CF%20Asia%202026&utm_source=Editorial&utm_medium=article%20event%20footer&utm_term=CF%20website&utm_content=Learn%20More&utm_source=Weekly+Update+-+Cargo+Facts&utm_campaign=fbe548904b-CF+Update_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_621baa6827-fbe548904b-40083601&mc_cid=fbe548904b&mc_eid=adbe8bb0b4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Cargo Facts Asia on March 23-25. To see the agendas and register for the events, visit CargoFactsEvents.com .

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