This is likely to be the most significant multimodal freight disruption to impact the Australian supply chains since the COVID-19 pandemic. Practically every mode of transport that connects Australia to the Middle East, Europe & beyond is affected. This update covers some key areas Australian importers & exporters may need to know.
The big picture
On Saturday, 28 February ’26, the US and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes on suspected Iranian targets. Iran retaliated with missile & drone attacks across multiple Gulf countries. This triggered airspace closures over 11 countries and forced every major ocean carrier to suspend Strait of Hormuz transits. In a mere 6 days, the disruption has reshaped global freight routing completely.
For Australian shippers, the impact is direct & immediate. The Middle East is not a mere destination. Instead, it is a critical transit hub for the vast majority of Australian sea & air freight moving to and from Europe, the UK and South Asia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. These are basically the three most important global waypoints for Australian cargo. All 3 are now severely limited.
Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE
On Sunday, 1 March, DP World confirmed that all 4 terminals at Jebel Ali, the largest Middle East container port, have resumed normal operations as of 1800 hrs UAE time. This follows a precautionary shutdown which had been triggered by aerial interception debris in the port area. The Inscape Shipping Services port operations report as of 1630 hrs UAE time on Tuesday, 3 March, confirmed continued normal operations with no navigational warnings.
Carrier-level restrictions mean Jebel Ali isn’t freely accessible to all cargoes.
Maersk suspended reefer and dangerous goods acceptance in the UAE. It has also suspended accepting new bookings between the Indian subcontinent and upper Gulf markets.
CMA CGM (which owns Australian ANL) has implemented a booking stop from Africa to upper Gulf destinations through Jebel Ali.
MSC has suspended all worldwide Middle East bookings until further notice.
ONE, HMM, COSCO, OOCL, and PIL have all suspended acceptance of Middle East bookings.
D&D suggests that shippers should refrain from assuming that space is available.
Air Freight – Major hubs are still severely disrupted
All 3 major Gulf aviation hubs that connect Australia to the world remain either fully suspended or limited to repatriation operations only. This may directly impact air freight on Australia-Middle East, Australia-Europe and Australia-UK corridors.
Emirates (DXB/DWC)
All scheduled commercial flights remain suspended until 2359 hrs., Dubai time, on Wednesday, 4 March. Emirates operated a restricted number of repatriation and freighter flights on Tuesday, 3rd & Wednesday, 4th March. This was only for passengers & cargo that had been directly contacted and confirmed. Emirates suggests not proceeding directly to Dubai airport without direct notification from Emirates.
Etihad (Abu Dhabi AUH)
All commercial flights had been suspended until 1400 hrs UAE time on Thursday, 5 March. This is the 4th extension. Repatriation and approved cargo flights are operating in limited windows under GCAA coordination. Etihad had also suggested making initial contact before travelling directly to Abu Dhabi airport.
Qatar Airways (Doha DOH)
Fully suspended. It is the 4th postponement as Qatari airspace remains completely shut down. No timeline for resumption had been shared. Qatar Airways Cargo operated 29 Boeing 777 freighters and 13 tonnes each day of capacity prior to the closure. This has vanished from the global air freight market. The next update was expected at 0900 hrs Doha time on 4 March.
Other airlines impacting Australian routes
Cathay Group: all Middle East operations were fully suspended. This includes DXB passengers and Al Maktoum freighter services. This directly impacts Australia through Hong Kong.
Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia: Dubai/Riyadh/Doha routes were suspended or rerouted between 4-7 March.
