Middle East - transport disruption: airspace closures and Strait of Hormuz risk March 2026

Over Saturday, 28 February 2026 and Sunday, 1 March 2026, the security environment in the Middle East escalated rapidly following reported military strikes and subsequent retaliation. As the situation intensified, several governments across the region moved to close or restrict airspace, triggering immediate flight cancellations and reroutes. This has also increased risk and uncertainty across key maritime corridors, including the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in heightened schedule volatility across both air and ocean networks.

In light of the current security situation in the Middle East, KLN has taken the precautionary step of temporarily suspending operations across affected areas to safeguard our people, partners, and cargo.

At this time, the majority of GCC airspace remains closed, and seaport activity in the Gulf of Hormuz is suspended. As a result, air and sea freight services to and from the region are experiencing significant disruption. The situation remains dynamic and may change at short notice.

Our Middle East team is closely monitoring developments around the clock and working in coordination with local authorities, carriers, and partners to evaluate safe and practical alternatives wherever possible. We are proactively reviewing all impacted shipments, assessing contingency routing options, and preparing recovery plans to enable swift action as soon as conditions permit.

We are committed to maintaining transparent and proactive communication throughout this period. You will receive regular updates from us as the situation evolves, and our teams will reach out directly regarding any shipments requiring specific action or alternative arrangements. Your usual KLN contact remains fully available to support you at any time.

We value the trust you place in KLN and remain firmly committed to protecting your supply chain, minimising disruption wherever possible, and supporting your business with clarity, responsiveness, and care.

Update - March 2, 2026

AVIATION & AIR CARGO – Severe, ongoing disruption

The Middle East is one of the world’s most important aviation crossroads linking Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania. With broad airspace restrictions and key hub interruptions, the impact is rippling well beyond the region—tightening air cargo capacity and reducing schedule reliability globally.

Current situation

• Airspace across several Middle East corridors has been closed or heavily restricted, forcing widespread cancellations and long reroutes.
• Major hub airports including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha have faced shutdowns/disruptions, displacing aircraft and crews and making recovery more complex even after airspace reopens.

Airline updates

• Emirates (Dubai): has advised a temporary suspension of operations as regional airspace closures continue, with services resuming only when it is safe to do so.
• Qatar Airways (Doha): confirmed the temporary suspension of flights to/from Doha due to Qatari airspace closure, noting schedules may change at short notice.
• Etihad (Abu Dhabi): has cancelled services as conditions remain dynamic, with further updates to follow.
• Other carriers: multiple international airlines have cancelled or rerouted services due to reduced safe overflight corridors—directly constraining global uplift.

Air cargo implications
With Gulf hubs constrained, available uplift drops sharply. Longer routings also mean higher operating costs—typically translating into capacity tightness, longer transit times, and upward rate pressure in the short term.

OCEAN FREIGHT – Chokepoint risk and emergency carrier measures

Escalated security risk is affecting maritime traffic through key chokepoints, particularly the Strait of Hormuz (and knock-on impacts to broader Middle East routings). Major container lines have implemented emergency operational measures.

Carrier updates

• MSC: instructed vessels in/heading to the Gulf to proceed to safe shelter areas and has suspended bookings for worldwide cargo to the Middle East until further notice.
• CMA CGM: has advised emergency measures and diversions, including moving ships away from higher-risk corridors (with some services rerouted via the Cape of Good Hope).
• Hapag-Lloyd: issued an official notice suspending Strait of Hormuz transits until further notice, warning of delays and service adjustments.
• Maersk: has warned Gulf services may face delays/rerouting and has moved sailings away from higher-risk passages as conditions evolve.

Operational observations
Expect holding patterns, diversions and “bunching” effects: missed berths, rolled bookings, and recovery delays that can linger even after restrictions ease. Alternative discharge patterns may emerge as networks rebalance.

--------------------

What’s happening now

Air freight:

• Multiple Middle East airspaces have been closed or heavily restricted, forcing flight cancellations and long reroutes. This reduces effective uplift (capacity), increases missed connections, and extends transit times—especially for cargo relying on Gulf hub connectivity.

Ocean freight (Strait of Hormuz / Persian Gulf):

• War-risk conditions have increased sharply. Several operators have paused or suspended transits through the Strait of Hormuz, and vessel holding patterns have been reported around the chokepoint.

Ports and terminals:

• Operational conditions can vary by location and can change with little notice. Some ports/terminals have reportedly constrained or suspended activity as security risks rise, adding delay risk beyond the chokepoint itself.

Official maritime risk posture:

• The U.S. has issued active maritime advisories for the Strait of Hormuz / Persian Gulf / Gulf of Oman / Arabian Sea region citing military operations and the potential for retaliatory strikes.

Expected supply chain impacts

• Immediate airfreight disruption: tighter capacity, longer routings, rebooking queues, and possible prioritisation of passenger recovery over cargo on some routes.
• Ocean reliability shock: missed berths, rolled bookings, bunching, and recovery delays that can persist even after conditions stabilise.
• Cost volatility: upward pressure from war-risk insurance, contingency surcharges, and higher exposure to storage/demurrage where cargo is held awaiting onward movement.

If restrictions persist, the market typically shifts into a “disruption pricing” environment: constrained capacity, lower schedule integrity, and more exceptions management. Even once conditions stabilise, recovery can take weeks as carriers unwind backlogs and reposition assets. 

What shippers can do now

• Prioritise shipments: identify must-move SKUs and deadlines; confirm escalation paths for time-critical cargo.
• Pre-approve alternates: agree contingency routings/gateways now (so decisions aren’t delayed during fast-changing conditions).
• Protect customer promises: add buffer to ETAs; align sales/installation calendars to more realistic lead times.
• Manage cost exposure early: request visibility on potential dwell points, storage triggers, and insurance implications.

Our operational approach

Given the fluid risk environment, we are actively monitoring developments and working with carriers and local partners to evaluate safe and practical alternatives. We are reviewing impacted shipments, assessing contingency routing options, and preparing recovery plans so we can move quickly as conditions permit.

We will continue to provide updates as the situation evolves, and we will contact you directly where specific action or alternate arrangements are required.