Bangkok: Airfares for flights between Asia and Europe have sharply increased following the closure of a major aviation hub in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Airline websites reveal that tickets on popular routes are fully booked days in advance.
According to Thai News Agency, the main aviation hubs in the Persian Gulf, including Dubai International Airport, remain closed for the fourth consecutive day. This closure has significantly reduced passenger capacity on popular routes such as those between Australia and Europe, where airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways usually have a large market share.
Andrew Stark, CEO of Flight Centre Travel Group, reported a 75 percent increase in calls to stores and emergency hotlines since the crisis erupted. The company has deployed round-the-clock teams to assist customers disrupted by the travel situation. Stark mentioned that Australians are booking new flights to the UK and Europe via alternative routes, including Asian hubs like China and Singapore, and North American routes through Houston.
Non-stop airlines on Asia-Europe routes are bypassing the closed Middle Eastern airspace by flying north through the Caucasus Mountains and Afghanistan, or south through Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. This adjustment could lead to longer flight times and increased fuel consumption, potentially raising fares in the long term due to high oil prices.
Thai Transport Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn noted that Thai Airways is experiencing full occupancy on its European flights as tourists prefer direct flights over Middle Eastern connections. The Thai Airways website shows the Bangkok-London route is sold out until next week, with significant fare increases. A one-way economy ticket on March 15th is priced at 71,190 baht, expected to drop to 27,045 baht by March 18th.
Other airlines face similar challenges. Cathay Pacific's Hong Kong-London route is fully booked until March 11th, with tickets costing up to HK$21,158. Qantas has no economy class tickets available on its Sydney-London routes until March 17th, with fares starting at AUD 3,129. Air China's Beijing-London route only has business class tickets available at 50,490 yuan, compared to the usual economy round-trip price of under 10,000 yuan.