Gulf airlines get back to business as flights near pre-war levels

Flights in the Gulf region are recovering toward pre-war levels, with Flightradar24 data showing total flights by major Gulf airlines at about 82% of the February 27 benchmark. Gulf Air and Kuwait Airways have topped 100% of that level in recent days, signaling a strong recovery for those carriers. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad are at or near 90% of their pre-war volumes, while Etihad and Qatar were as low as 40-50% only a month ago. Emirates, which has spent heavily to sustain operations during the disruption, has contributed to a more resilient network even as pilots and crews adjusted to new routes. The broader context includes ongoing safety concerns and looming reassessment of regional airspace.

With the U.S.-Iran interim agreement signaling a pause, airlines expect a brighter outlook if hostilities end and Gulf airspace reopens. Emirates remains around 86% of its pre-conflict volume, while Gulf Air and Etihad hover in the mid- to high-80s and near 93%, with Qatar Airways near 90%. The recovery has been uneven as European and Asian carriers largely avoided Gulf airspace, and regulators like the EU Aviation Safety Agency keep conflict-zone warnings in place. A de-escalation could allow a full restoration of routes and traffic.