MIDDLE EAST
INDUSTRY DISRUPTIONS

The Middle East War is a rapidly evolving situation, with impact on supply chains remaining fluid.

The Radiant Network remains committed to providing our customers with customized supply chain solutions that deliver, whatever the challenge.

The coming days will require expertise in creative solutions for successful movement in and out of affected areas. These updates illustrate the need to ensure your supply chain partner is well versed in both international and domestic out-of-the-box solutions.

The Radiant Network will continue to work with valued customers: past, present and future alike, on providing assistance and problem solving for these current challenges.

If you have questions or concerns with freight or with your supply chain, please reach out to your account executive from the Radiant Network. 

This page will be updated with new information as it becomes available. 

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AIR UPDATES
OCEAN UPDATES

AIR UPDATES

Last updated July 10, 2026 at 10am PST

The optimism that followed the U.S.-Iran peace agreement has largely dissipated as the ceasefire has effectively collapsed. Over the past several days, renewed military action between the United States and Iran has reignited instability across the region, with U.S. strikes on Iranian military infrastructure followed by Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan. These developments have significantly increased uncertainty for both passenger and cargo aviation and have once again shifted airline focus from network recovery to operational resilience.

While commercial airports throughout the Gulf remain operational, airlines are taking an increasingly cautious approach. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has renewed its recommendation that operators avoid the airspace over Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon through at least the end of August, while many international carriers continue to route around higher-risk areas. These longer routings are adding flight time, increasing fuel consumption, and limiting aircraft utilization across several major trade lanes.

The renewed conflict has stalled what had been a gradual recovery in global air cargo capacity. Airlines that had begun restoring frequencies and rebuilding passenger schedules are now reassessing operations as security concerns outweigh commercial demand. Several carriers have paused further capacity increases until there is greater confidence that military activity will not expand beyond its current scope. The market is once again operating under contingency planning rather than growth planning.

For air freight, the impact is once again being felt across Asia-Europe, Middle East-Europe, and portions of the transatlantic market. Continued avoidance of key Middle Eastern airspace is extending transit times, increasing operating costs, and reducing available payload on long-haul services. Belly cargo capacity remains constrained, while freighter operators continue to optimize routings around restricted airspace. As a result, spot market pricing has firmed and volatility has returned after several weeks of relative stabilization.

Energy markets have also reacted to the renewed escalation. Although oil prices have not returned to the extreme levels experienced earlier in the conflict, the latest military exchanges have injected fresh volatility into fuel markets. Airlines continue to face uncertainty surrounding jet fuel costs, making them hesitant to aggressively restore capacity or reduce emergency fuel-related surcharges.

Looking ahead, the market has shifted back into a defensive posture. Airlines and freight forwarders are closely monitoring developments while maintaining flexible routing strategies and contingency plans. Until diplomatic efforts resume and security conditions improve, customers should expect continued schedule variability, longer transit times on certain trade lanes, and ongoing pressure on available capacity.

Key Takeaway: The brief period of optimism following the peace agreement has been interrupted by renewed military escalation. Although global aviation has avoided the widespread airspace shutdowns seen earlier in the conflict, the collapse of the ceasefire has delayed the recovery of both passenger and cargo networks. Shippers should continue booking critical freight early and remain flexible with routing and transit expectations as the situation remains highly fluid.

Current Airline Updates:

CARGOLUX:

• Temporary suspension and acceptance of all freight bound for the Middle East until further notice, with the exception of Muscat.

• Planned restart to DWC has been placed on hold until further notice.

AIR FRANCE/KLM/MARTINAIR:

• Air France: Beirut (BEY) suspended. Dubai and Tel Aviv services have resumed.

• KLM: Dubai (DXB), Riyadh (RUH), Dammam (DMM) and Tel Aviv (TLV) suspended.

• Martinair: Dubai (DWC) suspended.

• No booking accepted for these destinations until further notice.

LUFTHANSA 

• Due to the volatile situation in the Middle East and for operational reasons the Lufthansa Group Airlines will continue to suspend flights to the following destinations.
  • Dubai through September 13
  • Tel Aviv gradually restarted
  • Amman through October 24
  • Beirut through October 24
  • Dammam through October 24
  • Riyadh through October 24
  • Erbil through October 24
  • Muscat through October 24
  • Tehran through October 24
• Lufthansa is canceling 20,000 flights through October 2026, largely due to soaring jet fuel prices and shortages caused by the conflict. The cancellations focus on short-haul European routes and older aircraft, with around 120 daily flights already impacted, including routes from Frankfurt.

ITA AIRWAYS

• Suspended flights to and from:

  • Dubai until October 24

  • Riyadh until August 1

• Anticipating Tel Aviv to resume starting July 1

QATAR AIRWAYS

• Qatar Airways Cargo has published its latest schedule, reflecting the resumption of freighter and belly operations to and from Doha.
• Qatar Airways Cargo will resume twice weekly freighter flights to Dubai World Central (DWC) on 26 April, and three times weekly Sharjah (SHJ) flights on 1 May. Qatar Airways will also resume daily passenger flights to Dubai (DXB) and Sharjah (SHJ).
• Freighter destinations will increase to over 50 as of 1 May, while our passenger / belly-hold network will continue its expansion to over 150 destinations from 16 June.
  • Click here to view the freighter map.
  • Click here to view the list of belly-hold destinations.
• The embargo on VIC – Q‑Prime Urgent Critical Cargo has been lifted as of 23 April, allowing for the highest priority on capacity-restrained flights and continuous monitoring provided by Qatar Airways Cargo’s Control Tower.
• The following products will be available effective 1 May with bookings currently available:
  • QRLIV* – special handling codes AVF, AVM and DOC
  • LHO – live human organs and blood
• Effective May 7, introducing a weekly freighter to Baghdad (BGW)
• Effective May 10, will operate twice weekly passenger flights to Baghdad (BGW)

UNITED

• Flights to and from Tel Aviv and Dubai have been suspended until further notice.

EMIRATES

• Following the partial reopening of regional airspace, Emirates has resumed passenger and freighter operations, with services now stabilizing across the network and cargo flows operating smoothly.

• Customers may continue to plan and book shipments on available flights, subject to capacity. Transit cargo via Dubai (DXB/DWC) will be accepted where onward connections are confirmed and operational.

• The updated list of passenger and freighter destinations for the month of April is available on the links below:

  • Freighter Destinations

  • Passenger Destinations

• In addition, a scheduled Road Feeder Service (RFS) operation twice weekly has been introduced to Muscat (MCT), Bahrain (BAH), and Kuwait (KWI). Customers are requested to liaise with their local Emirates SkyCargo offices for booking and operational requirements related to these services.

• Flight schedules remain subject to change and regulatory approvals. Customers are advised to contact their local Emirates SkyCargo office for the latest updates on schedules, capacity, and requirements.

• Restrictions still in place:

  • Class 1 Dangerous Goods remain restricted to and from the EK network.

ETIHAD

• Etihad Airways is currently operating a limited commercial flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and a number of key destinations.
• Limited number of repositioning, cargo, and repatriation flights are operating.
• Please check online schedule or local sales office to confirm capacity and service
• The United Arab Emirates carrier said it is operating ​a commercial flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and around 80 destinations.
  
  

AIR CANADA

•  All flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv are suspended until further notice.

DHL

• All flights to and from Middle East are temporarily suspended until further notice with the exception of the resumptions below:

• • BAH, DXB, DWC, AUH, SHJ, MCT currently open
  • Perishable now acceptable to DWC, DXB. and MCT
  • DG acceptable to all open ME destinations

IAG

• Flights between London and Doha are suspended until end of July 2026.
• Flights between London and Riyadh are suspended until September 2026.
• Flights between London and Amman, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Tel Aviv are suspended until October 2026.
• Flights between Madrid and Doha are suspended until end of June 2026.
• Flights between London and Larnaca are operating on a reduced schedule.
• Flights between London and Jeddah are suspended.

TURKISH

• Flights to Dubai fully restored June 9.

• Flights to Abu Dhabi starting July 1.

• Flights to Doha fully restored.

• While some flights to Amman and Beirut have resumed, operations remain subject to schedule adjustments.

SILKWAY

• All scheduled destinations have resumed with the exception of Kuwait.

CATHAY

• Plans to resume daily PAX flights to Dubai and Riyadh starting Sep. 1.
• Freighter service to Riyadh planned to resume August 1.

VIRGIN

• Service to and from DXB has been suspended for the season. Planned return Winter 2026.

• Services to and from Riyadh are now cancelled indefinitely.

• The situation remains dynamic, and they are actively monitoring. Confirm with local sales and customer service before booking.

FINNAIR

• Flights suspended to Dubai and Doha until Oct 2.

AIR INDIA

• Flights resumed to/from Jeddah and Muscat.
• Other Middle East destinations remain suspended, they are operating a number of non-scheduled flights to support stranded passengers.
• Trimming long haul flights up to 12% between now and end of July 2026 due to surge in jet-fuel prices and detours by the conflict.
  • Cuts affect marquee routes such as Delhi-New York, Mumbai-London, and Bengaluru-San Fransisco

GULF AIR

• Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has announced a near-full return to normal operations, with 75% of its global network and destinations reinstated. Over the past several weeks, the airline has gradually resumed services across the Middle East, Europe, Indian Subcontinent, and Africa, resuming services to more destinations and reconnecting an increasing number of passengers through the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• Gulf Air confirmed that flight frequency continues to grow, with services now operating across 40 destinations in 24 countries, representing 75% of network, underlining the airline’s swift and structured return to full operations. Gulf Air continues to add flights and increase daily frequencies across its network in a phased approach leading to full restoration by 1 June 2026.

ROYAL JORDANIAN

•  Flights will resume as long as airspace remains open. Flights have been cancelled to any closed airspace.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

•  SQ494 and SQ495 to and from Dubai suspended until Aug 2.

CHALLENGE AIRLINES

•  Continuing to operate full flight schedule despite current Middle East disruptions.

OCEAN UPDATES

Last updated July 10, 2026, at 10am PST

The Middle East shipping environment continues to show signs of improvement as ocean carriers gradually restore select services through the Suez Canal. This marks an important step toward normalizing global trade flows after months of vessel diversions around the Cape of Good Hope.

As additional services return to the Suez route, customers may begin to see improved transit times and greater schedule efficiency on certain Middle East trade lanes. However, carriers continue to closely monitor the security situation in the Red Sea and surrounding region, with routing decisions remaining subject to ongoing risk assessments.

While the market is moving in a positive direction, conditions remain dynamic. We recommend confirming routing and transit expectations at the time of booking, particularly for cargo moving to or from the Middle East. Radiant will continue to monitor developments and provide timely updates as market conditions evolve.