Gulf Business Aviation Traffic Paralyzed by Iran Conflict

Business aircraft operations across the Gulf region remained paralyzed on Monday as airspace and airports remained closed due to the ongoing military conflict between Iran and U.S. and Israeli forces. While the impact on airline services continues to be far greater, the business aviation sector appeared to have few options for exercising its usual flexibility to evacuate aircraft, crew, and passengers.

Charter flight brokers have been scrambling to support stranded clients, but these efforts have been thwarted by the continuing closure of airspace over Iran, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Israel, Qatar, and Syria. Major airports—including Dubai International, Dubai Al Maktoum International, Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, and Doha Hamad International—remain closed, with some casualties and damage sustained from Iranian ballistic missile and drone strikes.

The danger to aircraft was underlined on Monday morning when Kuwait’s defense forces accidentally shot down three U.S. F-15 fighters while trying to block incoming Iranian missiles. Threats posed by Iranian drones have extended as far west as Cyprus, where a UK Royal Air Force base has been under attack since Sunday, and Paphos International Airport has been closed.

Israel’s airspace is expected to remain fully closed until March 9, with travelers now seeking to evacuate by ground routes to Jordan and Egypt. On Sunday, the conflict expanded after Israeli forces attacked Hezbollah forces backed by Iran that had initiated missile strikes.  

Dubai-based flight planning and support group Hadid International told AIN it is difficult to determine how long airspace and airport restrictions will remain in place. “We are on full alert and actively supporting operators,” said the company’s commercial director, Mohammad Al Osta. “We are already assisting several diverted flights and coordinating alternative routings and operational requirements.”

Escape Routes via Saudi Arabia and Oman

Despite some missile and drone strikes in Saudi Arabia, the country’s airspace remained open on Monday. Some security companies have been able to drive clients from the UAE to the capital Riyadh, where jet broker Vimana Private reported the going rate for a charter flight to Europe as being up to $350,000.

Another partial option for evacuation flights is via Oman, with Hadid having helped some crew and passengers to cross the border from the UAE. On Monday, Fujairah International Airport announced that some flights will be able to depart using routes through Oman’s airspace, with authorities there having agreed to a temporary and limited reopening of a corridor connecting the Emirates and Muscat flight information regions.

There have been no confirmed reports of any FBOs or other business aviation support facilities being damaged. Airline passenger terminals at Kuwait International, Dubai International, and Zayed International airports have been hit by missiles, and Bahrain International has also come under attack.

In a briefing on Monday morning, International SOS warned that significant disruption to civil aviation could continue in the Gulf region for several weeks or even months, with military operations expected to continue at the current level of intensity for at least another five to seven days. Hany Bakr, senior v-p for aviation and marine with its MedAire subsidiary, said that even as airports and airspace begin to reopen, operators should be prepared for intermittent disruption.

Since Saturday, International SOS has responded to more than 1,000 client requests, including arrangements for land evacuations. Several other specialist groups, including Dyami Security Intelligence and Osprey Flight Solutions, are also supporting clients across the region around the clock, with all warning that severe disruption and critical risks to civil aviation movements will continue for a prolonged period.

On Saturday, Swiss-based data group CH Aviation reported that multiple business aircraft have been displaced by the conflict. These include jets owned and/or operated by Qatar Executive, the Qatar Amiri Flight, Luxaviation, Avcon Jet, Global Jet Aruba, MNF Investments, Sundt Air, and Zafer Air.

According to data prepared by WingX, around 156 business aircraft are currently parked at airports across the region, including Turkey and Cyprus. This total includes 56 in Dubai, which, as of Monday morning, had been parked for an average of 99 hours—meaning since the day before the conflict started early on Saturday. The other locations are as follows: Abu Dhabi (9); Qatar (4); Bahrain (4); Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (3); Jordan (2); Iraq (1); Kuwait (1); Istanbul, Ankara, and Anatalya, Turkey (51); Tel Aviv, Israel (12); Paphos, Cyprus (10); and Iran (2).