Air cargo capacity is being redrawn across the Middle East as the regional conflict forces airlines to adjust schedules, routes and operating patterns, with new research from consultancy Aevean highlighting the airports most heavily affected.
According to Aevean’s latest figures, Doha, Dubai International, Dubai World Central, Bahrain International and Kuwait International recorded the sharpest declines in outbound cargo tonnage capacity.
Doha experienced the most severe fall, with outbound cargo capacity down by 37,000 tonnes year on year in the week ending 30 March — a 77% decline. The airport is home to Qatar Cargo, the world’s largest cargo airline, which has gradually restarted freighter operations. From 21 March, the carrier resumed services to a wide range of destinations including Vietnam, China, Thailand, South Korea, Nigeria, Kenya, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the US, Brazil, Ecuador and Panama.
Dubai International recorded a year-on-year capacity loss of 24,000 tonnes, equivalent to 57%, while Dubai World Central fell by 14,000 tonnes, or 59%. Bahrain saw a 12,000-tonne drop and Kuwait a decline of 7,000 tonnes.
Not all airports moved in the same direction. Aevean said outbound cargo capacity from Muscat and Istanbul increased during the same period, making them two of the few hubs to benefit from the regional reshuffling of traffic.
Maarten Wormer, Aevean’s head of consulting, said the wider global cargo market remains under pressure as the Gulf conflict continues and jet fuel prices remain elevated. Writing on LinkedIn, he said airports across the Middle East are experiencing the most dramatic cargo capacity changes seen anywhere in the world.
While overall capacity is trending downward, Wormer noted that some origins are showing meaningful growth. Even so, he cautioned that the increases seen in Muscat and Istanbul remain small compared with the losses suffered elsewhere in the region.
He added that Abu Dhabi International Airport has performed comparatively well, with capacity down just 3% from the same period last year.
Last week, Aevean reported that global cargo capacity overall was 2% lower year on year. At the height of the disruption, however, worldwide capacity had fallen by around 20% as widespread airspace closures across the Middle East disrupted cargo operations.
