Flights, travel and business events in the Middle East and beyond continue to be impacted by the Iran-US conflict, as the UK government has announced its first repatriation flight for UK nationals from Oman tonight.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes across the Gulf, in response to a U.S.-Israeli assault, have caused the most significant business disruption in the Middle East since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Reuters.
Debris from intercepted Iranian drones in Dubai damaged two of the city’s luxury hotels over the weekend: the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab and Fairmont The Palm, while the US consulate building in Dubai was in flames after being hit by a drone on Tuesday evening.
Governments, including the U.S., U.K., and European Union, have updated travel advisories for the region, urging citizens to avoid non-essential travel.
Affiliate World Global: Dubai, originally scheduled to open today (4 March) at the Dubai World Trade Centre, with more than 7,000 affiliate marketers and e-commerce professionals, has been postponed to spring 2027.
In a statement published on LinkedIn, the organisers said the decision to delay the event until Spring 2027 was taken due to safety concerns and logistical uncertainty.
“Due to escalating regional conflicts and the resulting safety concerns, as well as the closure of UAE airports and significant disruption to travel, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to postpone Affiliate World Global: Dubai Edition 2026 to Spring 2027.”
The organisers acknowledged the scale of investment already made into the 2026 edition, including venues, production, booths, printing and staffing, as well as the costs incurred by attendees and exhibitors.
It’s not just events in the region that are being impacted as restricted airspace over the Middle East and flight cancellations cause travel chaos. Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and ITB Berlin, have both reportedly been affected with delegates from the Middle East and Asia unable to travel to the event.
Airspace over the Middle East remains severely restricted, with flights completely or partially grounded over Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE and Israel.
The Gulf serves as a hub for several major airlines and is home to some of the world’s busiest airports, serving passengers travelling to the region or transiting to further afield, and the impact is now reverberating across Asia–Europe routes that rely on Gulf hubs for connections.
Ticket prices between Asia and Europe have surged as more passengers reroute their plans away from the affected region.