HONG KONG: Airfares between Asia and Europe have surged after the closure of major Middle Eastern hubs disrupted key global routes, with airline websites showing limited availability and sharply higher prices on many popular flights.

Key Gulf airports, including Dubai, the world's busiest international airport, typically handling more than 1,000 flights a day, remained shut for a fourth straight day on Tuesday as fighting linked to the U.S.-Israel war against Iran continued. The closures have slashed capacity on heavily trafficked routes such as Australia to Europe, where Emirates and Qatar Airways normally dominate.

Australia's Flight Centre Travel Group has seen a 75 percent jump in calls to its stores and emergency assistance lines since the crisis began, its Global Managing Director Andrew Stark said.

"Australians are very resilient and are already rebooking flights to the UK/Europe via alternative routes via China, Singapore, ⁠and other Asian hubs, as well as North America via hubs such as Houston," he said.

Airlines operating non-stop Asia-Europe services can bypass the closed Middle Eastern airspace by flying north via the Caucasus and Afghanistan or south via Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. But those detours add to flight times and fuel consumption, pushing up costs at a time when oil prices have spiked — a combination that could drive fares higher in the longer term.

"Right now the whole of the Middle East is out of bounds, which is a high price for some airlines," said Subhas Menon, head of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. "If then Europe can only be served at a high cost, airline profitability will be undermined. At the end of the day, the price to pay is connectivity."

Alternative Routes Fill Up

Alton Aviation Consultancy said carriers offering non-stop flights or routing through unaffected hubs, including Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Turkish Airlines, could see short-term gains as travelers shift away from Gulf-based operators.

Reuters checks of several airline websites on March 3 showed near-term flights from Asia to London were either fully booked or priced far above normal levels.

Cathay Pacific's website showed no available economy-class seats on its Hong Kong-London route until March 11. A one-way ticket that day cost at least HK$21,158 (US$2,705.28), before dropping to a more typical HK$5,054 later in the month.

From Sydney to London, Qantas was not offering economy-class tickets via its usual Perth and Singapore routes until March 17, when a one-way seat was available for A$3,129 ($2,220.03). Earlier departures required costly itineraries with unconventional stopovers such as Los Angeles and Johannesburg.

Thailand's Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said Thai Airways' Europe-bound flights were fully booked as European tourists opted for direct services instead of transiting through the Middle East. A search of the airline's website showed tickets from Bangkok to London sold out until late next week. An economy-class one-way seat on March 15 was priced at 71,190 baht ($2,265), easing to 27,045 baht by March 18.

Taiwan's EVA Airways said bookings for its Europe-bound flights had surged as passengers sought alternative routing options.

Mainland Chinese airlines' websites showed China-UK fares also climbing well above normal levels, with economy seats largely unavailable for near-term departures. A return economy ticket from Beijing to London typically costs under 10,000 yuan ($1,452.71), but Air China's only option for March 4 was a business-class one-way ticket priced at 50,490 yuan.

With Middle Eastern airspace still largely closed, travelers and airlines alike face mounting costs and limited options as disruptions ripple across global aviation networks.