Global airlines are in a bind, none more so than those who operate through the Middle East where the widening conflict is testing airline resources and ingenuity, as well as the patience of stranded passengers.
For some airlines, the answer to the soaring price of aviation fuel has been to cut services. Both Air New Zealand and SAS in Scandinavia have taken this path.
Others are rerouting flights through ever-tightening air space over southern Europe. Qantas has introduced a Singapore stopover on what was its non-stop Perth-London route, to take on fuel for the extra distances it must fly to avoid conflicted airspace.
British Airways, sensing that there will be no early resolution to war in Iran, is launching a Melbourne to London service with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur. It has also cancelled all flights to and from Abu Dhabi until later this year.
Middle East airlines are doing all they can to move passengers stuck in Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai but services are restricted and subject to cancellation at short notice.
Related: What the Middle East war means for travellers
Emirates says that despite the challenges of missile strikes in the region, it is still serving 114 destinations from Dubai.
“This [disruption] is not unprecedented. The scale of it is,” said aviation expert and former pilot, John Cox.
Already, the changes airlines are making as a result of the Middle East conflict is putting pressure on major airports in Southeast Asia with Singapore Changi now the focus for airlines seeking a safer route from Australia to Europe.
New booking data across Flight Centre Travel Group’s flagship corporate travel divisions, and analysed by FCM Travel, reveal a significant shift in corporate travel patterns, reinforcing Asia's central role as a global gateway.
The fresh statistics show that booking volumes between Australia and Europe via Changi lifted by 38% between Monday 2 March, and Sunday 15 March, compared with the two weeks prior.
“Business travel is known for its resilience and flexibility, with companies looking at alternative routes that are safe to travel through, rather than cancelling,” said Bertrand Saillet, managing director, FCM Travel Asia.
“Global economies don’t stop, and our latest data show that corporates continue to find ways to get deals done through alternative routes,” he added.
Dr Ian Douglas, an expert in aviation and airline management, told the ABC in Australia that the situation will be “messy for the next month” at best, as airlines work to rebook people, coordinate with partners and figure out other routes to avoid problematic airspace.