Flight cancellations go beyond conflict zone

NARROWING GULF AIRSPACE IS STRAINING EVEN DISTANT ROUTES

- BY JUSTIN VARGHESE

New data from Flightradar24 and Flight-Aware indicate a notable uptick in cancellations of flights to Dubai International Airport (DXB) on certain routes outside the conflict zone in the Middle East.

The increase in cancellations follows the airspace disruption triggered by the Iran-Israel crisis beginning June 13, causing ripple effects across broader flight schedules worldwide.

Delays and detours

What is a likely explanation? The mid-air bottlenecks are forcing airlines to either take much longer detours — adding hours to flight times — or cancel flights entirely to avoid the domino effect on aircraft rotations and crew schedules.