Middle East Dispatch: Flying through the Gulf is complicated

Business Traveller reports that major international airlines will keep key Middle East routes grounded through late October and, in several cases, into 2027[2]. It says this is happening even though regional airspace has reopened and Gulf carriers have rebuilt rapidly after seven months of conflict triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran[2].According to Aerospace Global News, Wizz Air is the latest carrier to postpone the resumption of services to Abu Dhabi, pushing back the launch of six routes from Europe until January 2027[3].The flight-operations group OPSGROUP reports that Kuwait is still closed to overflights, so there is no direct central route through the region[4]. It also says GPS jamming and spoofing remain widespread across the region[4].OPSGROUP adds that in Saudi Arabia, recent Houthi missile and drone attacks have caused short-notice disruption, including at Riyadh, and further disruption seems likely[4].Wego reports that Gulf Air has cancelled flights to and from Riyadh from 12 to 17 October 2026, after attacks on Riyadh airport[5]. Citing The Peninsula, Wego says Saudi Arabia's aviation authority suspended operations at King Khalid International Airport on 10 October and extended the suspension on 12 October with no reopening date[5].Business Traveller, citing IATA, reports that in July passenger traffic at Middle Eastern airlines was down 10 percent from a year earlier[2].