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Middle Eastern “Big Three” returned to 90% pre-war capacity
June 26th 2026
The overall number of flights by major Gulf airlines has returned to 82% of the level on Feb 27, the day before the war started, according to Flightradar24.com data. Read More » Gulf Air and Kuwait Air have restored 100% of operations, while Middle Eastern “Big Three” (ME3): Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways are above or near 90% of their pre-war level. The return of capacity closes the temporary window of opportunity for Asian carriers to fly passengers to Europe, while Gulf peers were forced to suspend operations due to the Iran conflict. “The war initially boosted sales for the flag carrier because passengers were looking to bypass hubs in the Gulf region, but Thai Air now has to contend with lower fares from rivals based there,” Chai Eamsiri, Thai Airways CEO, told Bloomberg Industries earlier this month, adding that his airline sees travel demand softening the rest of this year.
