Israel's strike on multiple Iranian facilities, which occurred during the night between 12 and 13 June 2025, is causing serious problems for international air traffic, as several Middle Eastern countries have closed their airspace for safety reasons. The closures affect both flights departing from or arriving at airports in the region and those simply passing through. Iran's response, which signals the prospect of a prolonged conflict, could extend the crisis and force a restructuring of the global logistics chain. At the same time, tensions are rising in the Red Sea, just as maritime traffic in the area was beginning to recover.
The first Middle Eastern countries to shut their skies—besides Israel and Iran themselves—were Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. This is clearly shown by the air traffic monitoring site Flightradar, which on the morning of 13 June displayed flight paths between Europe and Asia avoiding the entire region. Planes are now diverting south over Saudi Arabia and Egypt or north via Turkey, Georgia and Kazakhstan, significantly increasing costs.
Bloomberg noted that among the hardest-hit airlines is Air India, already reeling from the tragic accident on 12 June that claimed the lives of 241 people. Routes between India and Western Europe, which frequently pass over Iran and Iraq, are now so heavily diverted that the distance between New Delhi and Paris has grown by over 15 per cent. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, these routes account for about a third of Air India’s total capacity.
Gulf carriers such as Emirates and Flydubai have also cancelled or rerouted numerous flights, particularly those bound for Europe, Russia and the Americas. Unable to fly over Iran and Iraq, these airlines have lost access to their shortest routes and are forced into longer, more expensive detours. El Al, Israel’s national carrier, has suspended all departures from Tel Aviv and rerouted incoming flights.
The financial markets reacted immediately. Airline stocks suffered sharp losses: on the morning of 13 June, Turkish Airlines fell by 4.5 per cent in Istanbul, while Air France-KLM closed down 3.4 per cent in Paris. Fears of a broader Middle Eastern conflict with knock-on effects for global air traffic prompted investors to sell.
The war in Ukraine, tensions between Pakistan and India, and now the shutdown of Middle Eastern airspace: the air transport sector is facing an exceptionally difficult period. The need to avoid vast swathes of airspace is reshaping the geography of commercial aviation, bringing rising costs, less reliable schedules and a negative impact on the competitiveness of many carriers. Should tensions between Iran and Israel escalate further, more closures, flight bans and operational restrictions may follow, with serious consequences for global flows of people and goods.
