Middle East airspace disruptions keep cargo capacity tight

Ongoing airspace disruptions tied to the Iran war are reshaping global air cargo flows, as several carriers extend Middle East suspensions. This week, Cathay Pacific extended suspension of passenger and cargo flights to Dubai (DWC) and Riyadh (RUH) to the end of April citing the “volatile situation.” [caption id="attachment_57295967" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Martinair operates a 747-400BCF for KLM Cargo. (Courtesy/Zambia Airports Corporation Limited)[/caption] Restoration of operations for Gulf airlines, accounting for up to 15% of global air cargo capacity, is mixed: Emirates said it has “progressively ramped up” freighter services after the partial reopening of airspace in the UAE; Etihad has resumed most, if not all, freighter flights and some passenger flights; and Qatar Airways’ schedules remain severely restricted due to the continued near-closure of Qatari airspace, but it said it will resume some freighter flights to and from Doha starting March 21. Lufthansa Cargo volume rebounds Lufthansa, a non-Gulf carrier, appears more positive about market conditions. Cargo demand has increased noticeably recently, with volumes rising by 10% to 15% compared with the week before the Iran war began on Feb. 28, a spokesperson told Cargo Facts on March 18. “The rebound is particularly visible from India and parts of South Asia,” the spokesperson said. “Networks are adapting to the disruption to traffic in the Middle East. Through rerouting, and with capacity gradually returning to the market, previously delayed shipments and backlogged demand are now moving again, resulting in an uptick in volumes.” Last week, Lufthansa Cargo operated four extra 777 freighters to and from Mumbai (BOM), Delhi (DEL) and Chennai (MAA). “The Middle East/Gulf region is generally viewed as an important logistics and transit corridor between Europe and Asia, but not so much for Lufthansa Cargo since we have direct flights to Southeast Asia, India and China,” the Lufthansa spokesperson said. Rates With the drop in available capacity out of the Gulf hubs and the increase in Asia volumes looking for alternate routes to Europe, rates have spiked on many of these lanes, according to data from Freightos this week. South Asia-Europe prices climbed to $4.72 per kilogram, 84% higher than just before the war, with Southeast Asia-Europe rates up 26% to $4.23 per kilogram and Europe-Middle East prices up 57% to $2.82 per kilogram. At least part of the increases are due to higher fuel charges rolled out by some carriers. While rates climbed sharply in the first week or so following airspace closures, prices have leveled off or even cooled slightly on many of lanes in the past few days, Freightos said. This shift may reflect some capacity recovery by Emirates and Etihad or it might be due to additional direct Asia-Europe capacity by European airlines and Asian carriers. But with Qatar Airways mostly grounded for service in and out of Doha (DOH), about 5% of global capacity is still absent from the market and likely an important factor in capacity and rate levels, Freightos noted. Capacity constraints Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has not deployed additional freighter capacity to Asia since the war started. “Quite simply, we do not have additional capacity available. We are therefore operating our network with the existing fleet and resources,” a spokesperson told Cargo Facts. The carrier plans to increase service to Asia from March 30 with three 747-400F flights that will operate on a new route via Seoul (ICN) to Hong Kong (HKG). It previously had two flights that operated eastbound via Dubai (DWC). However, a stopover in the Gulf is unlikely to be maintained without improved security, the spokesperson said. 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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