Gulf airspace closures leave Asia-to-Europe travellers stranded and bleeding cash

[HONG KONG] Tens of thousands of passengers remain stranded weeks into the Iran conflict, as mass cancellations across Gulf hubs overwhelm carriers and leave travellers scrambling to find ways home.

Retired photographer Bernard Kuhn and his wife were stuck in Sri Lanka after Qatar Airways cancelled their London-bound flight.

After days of failed attempts to reach the airline – with calls dropping and no follow-up – they gave up, flew to Bangkok and waited 10 days before buying new tickets. The detour cost £5,000 (S$8,562), forcing them to scrap next year’s vacation.

“Airlines are overwhelmed and are not communicating, so you are left completely blind,” Kuhn said. “No one’s sending you e-mails or calling you. You really need to sort it all out on your own.”

The Kuhns’ experience reflects a broader breakdown as more than 50,000 flights have been cancelled, disrupting one of the world’s busiest transit corridors. Many travellers say airlines have failed to rebook them promptly – or at all – leaving passengers to navigate limited alternatives and soaring fares themselves.

Their complaints come as Gulf airlines face a rare level of disruption as airspace closures trigger sudden cancellations across one of the world’s busiest long-haul networks.

About a third of Europe-Asia flights transit through Gulf hubs, so even short shutdowns can ripple globally. With crews and aircraft out of position, recovery is slower and passenger assistance can be limited.

Some people booked on Gulf carriers have described hours on hold to reach customer service, repeated cancellations with little explanation and automatic refunds without rebooking options. Others say airlines continue selling high-priced seats on available flights while stranded customers struggle to secure them.

While some travellers in the Gulf or European Union are entitled to care and assistance, many others – especially on Asia-Europe routes – have little recourse when airlines fail to rebook them or delay alternatives, leaving passengers to cover hotel costs and other expenses out of pocket. Travel insurance offers little relief, as most policies exclude war-related disruptions.

“There are not any unifying global passenger protections,” said Steven Berger, a lawyer with the European Consumer Organisation.

In response to requests for comment on booking and refund delays, Qatar Airways, Etihad and Emirates directed Bloomberg to areas of their websites that address frequently asked questions related to war disruptions.

‘Let down’

Still, their social media channels remain flooded with requests for rebookings, including from elderly travellers and those with medical needs. Users have reported receiving refunds instead of alternative flights, leaving them to purchase new flights at exorbitant costs.

X user Bruno Lopes posted that he and his wife were stranded in Bali after their flight home to Brazil was cancelled, and that they were unable to secure a rebooking despite seats still being sold.

“Stop pushing refunds just to sell the same ticket at more than double the price,” he wrote. “Prioritise rebooking us instead of profiting off the crisis! We need a flight home now.”

Diane Clement said she encountered that firsthand after Etihad cancelled her return flight to Atlanta from a vacation in Thailand’s Phuket. While trying to rebook, she found seats still selling on the same route for more than US$4,000, nearly four times what she had originally paid.

“I felt they were doing us dirty, and it’s really unfair,” Clement said. Unable to secure a rebooking, she borrowed money to purchase a separate US$3,700 ticket home on Delta.

On some popular routes between South-east Asia, Australia and Europe for March, airfares have spiked two to five times from February, according to consultancy Alton Aviation. June fares are about 40 to 110 per cent higher than a year earlier, with October prices up 15 to 30 per cent, it said.

Although some European and Asian carriers have added direct flights to bypass the Middle East, the additional capacity has not been enough to absorb displaced passengers.

“The extra capacity still has not filled the entire void,” said Bryan Terry, Alton’s managing director. “The demand still exists and that’s why flights are so high on some of these routes.”

The disruption, alongside rising jet fuel costs, is expected to weigh on the summer travel season, particularly on long-haul routes. Summer bookings from Europe to the US have fallen 15 per cent from a year earlier, while Asia-to-Europe bookings – heavily reliant on Middle Eastern hubs – are down 4.4 per cent, according to analytics firm Cirium.

“For travellers heading into summer 2026, the message is clear: Expect higher fares and fewer cheaper Gulf connections,” Terry said.

About 90,000 passengers a day typically transit through Gulf airport hubs on Emirates, Qatar and Etihad, Cirium said.

Much of the current strain is concentrated on routes that rely on the Gulf hubs, where service has been cut following escalating security risks, including a recent drone incident in the vicinity of Dubai International Airport. Airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific Airways have also suspended key routes, tightening capacity.

UK-based travel agent Kate Moore said she was forced to buy £2,500 tickets via Hong Kong after her Etihad Airways flight home from Thailand was cancelled and refunded.

With little communication from the airlines, she began posting travel updates on Instagram and has heard from more than 400 passengers facing similar issues, many unable to afford replacement fares. Some have had flights cancelled up to five times and feel abandoned, she said.

“People have lost a lot of confidence in the airlines,” Moore said, adding that many who are still stuck have sought her help to book them on alternate routes that avoid the Gulf. “They have been really badly let down and cannot get help from anyone.” BLOOMBERG