ACI APAC & MID
13 May 2026
Airports Council International Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID), the association representing more than 600 airports across 45 countries and territories, today released a comprehensive assessment of the operational and economic impact of the ongoing military conflict in the Gulf on regional aviation infrastructure in Middle East.
The assessment, conducted in partnership with Flare Aviation Consulting, covers the two-month period from the conflict's onset through 30 April 2026. It confirms that the military conflict has pushed the global air transport network under acute stress, with Middle East airports bearing a disproportionate and sustained burden due to its role as one of the world’s most important transport corridors linking Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
The nine airports in this study collectively handled 324 million passengers in 2025, i.e. about 70% of the total traffic in the Middle East over the same year, and disruptions in this corridor have consequences across the global aviation network...
