Europe-Middle East Air Traffic Drops 14% in 2026 as Gulf Carriers Outpace European Airlines
Air traffic between Europe and the Middle East fell 14% in 2026 due to regional conflict and higher fuel costs, while Gulf carriers outpace struggling European airlines.
Newsnibs Staff
- 2026-10-16
- Updated 6:18 PM UTC
Air traffic between Europe and the Middle East fell 14% in cumulative 2026 totals compared with the same period last year, according to a Eurocontrol report, with the decline reaching 20% when measured against pre-war levels from January and February. Those two pre-war months had themselves been running 9% ahead of the prior year, a trajectory the outbreak of war in the region reversed through airspace closures and higher fuel costs.
The recovery since has been uneven. Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are now operating 23% below their pre-crisis flight levels. European carriers have fared far worse, down 82% from where they stood before the conflict began. Israeli airlines, by contrast, are flying 56% above their pre-conflict performance.
For the week of October 5 to October 11, the Europe-Middle East corridor was the only route tracked by Eurocontrol to post a decline, falling 7%. Traffic to and from Israel grew 6% that week and traffic with Jordan rose 9%, while flights to or from Saudi Arabia dropped 19%, Qatar fell 16% and the United Arab Emirates fell 10%. Eurocontrol linked the declines in Saudi, Qatari and Emirati traffic to recent Houthi attacks on Riyadh.
Jet fuel has added to the strain on carriers. The price reached $4.82 a gallon on October 9, up 2% over the prior two weeks. The average price for the year to date stands at $4.74 a gallon, a 2.5% rise over September's monthly average of $4.63.
Photo by John McArthur on Unsplash
