The closure of Russian and Ukrainian airspace to European carriers after the invasion of Ukraine has pushed eastbound traffic south into a small, uncertain corridor. For passengers on many routes, a Gulf connection had become the cheapest, quickest and possibly the nicest way to fly. View image in fullscreen Passengers stranded by the closure of Dubai airport await for assistance in the parking area on Sunday. Two-thirds of the world’s population is within an eight-hour flight of the Gulf, and geography has underpinned the travel hub’s success. That includes the Hungarian airline Wizz Air, which on Thursday issued a €50m profit warning over the impact of the war in the Gulf.

Source: Ethiopian News March 07, 2026 12:31 UTC