Flight Activity For Gulf Airlines Nears Pre-War Levels As Services Normalize.

Gulf airlines are steadily returning to normal operations after months of disruption caused by the conflict involving Iran, which repeatedly affected air traffic across the Middle East.

The region’s major carriers saw their networks disrupted as missile and drone attacks led to airport closures and forced airlines to reroute flights through limited safe corridors.

Data from Flightradar24 showed that the combined flight activity of leading Gulf carriers had recovered to about 82% of levels seen on February 27, the day before the conflict began. Gulf Air and Kuwait Airways have recently exceeded their pre-conflict volumes.

Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways — the region’s three largest airlines — are operating at or close to 90% of their pre-war capacity. Etihad and Qatar Airways had fallen to around 40-50% of normal levels just a month ago, while Emirates maintained higher flight levels throughout the crisis.

The outlook for Gulf carriers has improved after the United States and Iran reached an interim agreement on Wednesday to end the nearly four-month conflict, with further talks on implementing a ceasefire expected on Friday.

A full reopening of regional airspace would allow airlines to resume normal operations, according to James Halstead, managing partner at Aviation Strategy.

Drone attacks during the conflict repeatedly forced diversions of Gulf-bound flights, raising safety concerns and restricting air traffic to a handful of safe routes.

Many European and Asian airlines suspended services to the region, while travel warnings remain in place. Australia this week eased its travel advice for several Middle Eastern countries, offering a boost to the region’s aviation and tourism sectors.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has maintained its warning over flights to the region due to conflict-related risks. The agency said it would consider recent developments when reviewing its advisory, which remains in force until June 24, but added that it was too early to determine whether the current de-escalation would lead to a lasting reduction in risks to civil aviation.

Gulf countries have invested heavily in recent years to strengthen their position as global transport and tourism hubs through major spending on airports, hotels and events. A full reopening of regional airspace is expected to provide additional support to regional economies.

Emirates is currently operating at 86% of its pre-conflict flight volume, according to Flightradar24 data. Gulf Air and Etihad Airways have recovered to 93% of February levels, while Kuwait Airways and Qatar Airways have reached 86% and 87%, respectively. Air Arabia and Flydubai remain below pre-war levels, operating at 75% and 57%.

The impact of the conflict has extended beyond the Gulf, with higher fuel prices and disrupted schedules affecting airlines across Europe and Asia.

Earlier this month, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents more than 370 airlines accounting for around 85% of global air traffic, cut its 2026 industry profit forecast to $23 billion from a previous estimate of about $41 billion, citing the effects of the conflict.

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