Middle East Carrier Updates

GFS have received the following operational updates from our carrier partners regarding the ongoing situation across the Middle East. These updates outline any temporary service changes, transit time impacts, routing adjustments, or delivery suspensions currently in place.

We are monitoring developments closely and will continue to update this page as further information becomes available. Please review the details below for the latest carrier-specific guidance.

Flight Suspensions – Tel Aviv (TLV) & Dubai (DXB)

Flights to Tel Aviv (TLV) and Dubai (DXB) are cancelled until 8 March. All related lanes remain on hold until further notice. Shipments destined for these locations will not be uplifted during this period and transit times will be impacted accordingly.

Countries Currently On Hold (Shipments Not Accepted)

Due to airspace closures, security restrictions and airline suspensions, shipments are temporarily on hold for the following destinations:

Oman (OM), Bahrain (BH), Qatar (QA), Israel (IL), Saudi Arabia (SA), United Arab Emirates (AE), Vietnam (VN), Kuwait (KW), Pakistan (PK), Philippines (PH), Singapore (SG), Sri Lanka (LK)

Shipments to these destinations cannot be accepted until operations resume.

Delays and Service Disruptions (Up to 7 Days Expected Where Operational)

Israel (IL)

The airport remains closed. No clearance or injection activity is currently taking place. Delivery delays will continue until operations resume.

United Arab Emirates (AE)

Airline collections have been restricted. MAWBs that have arrived but do not yet show injection events will experience delays. Backlog clearance may take time once collections fully resume.

Saudi Arabia (SA)

MAWBs are being collected and last-mile deliveries are proceeding where operationally feasible.

No Current Delays Reported for:

New Zealand (NZ)

Malaysia (MY) ex Netherlands (NL)

Malaysia (MY) ex United Kingdom (UK) – alternative airline routings are being used where possible to mitigate disruption.

Lanes Reopened (Off Hold as of 03/03/26)

Thailand (TH), Hong Kong (HK), India (IN), Indonesia (ID), South Korea (KR)

Please find below recommended padding on the current transit times:

We continue to closely monitor the situation and coordinate with airline and ground handling partners to minimise disruption.

DHL Express

16^th March

Update on airspace disruption, routing changes and carrier‑imposed surcharges

We would like to provide an update on the current situation affecting flight operations into the GCC region, following the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

As a result of recent escalation, several countries across the GCC have experienced temporary airspace closures, heightened security restrictions and wider operational disruption. This has impacted standard aviation routes and airline schedules, with some destinations requiring alternative routings. 

Route Status

The following destinations remain operational. While services continue, shipments may be subject to delays or short‑notice changes due to ongoing network disruption.

• Saudi Arabia – No impact to line haul or final mile
• UAE – No impact to line haul or final mile
• Israel – No impact to line haul or final mile
• Oman – No impact to line haul or final mile
• Kuwait (via Oman) – Alternative routing in place due to temporary airspace restrictions
• Bahrain (via Oman) – Alternative routing in place due to temporary airspace restrictions
• Qatar (via Oman) – Alternative routing in place due to temporary airspace restrictions

DHL Express continues its operations and delivery services as normal, however, due to the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East, some temporary delays in delivery are possible.

The situation in the Middle East has led to significant disruptions for DHL Express operations. Here are the key updates:

Airspace Restrictions: Multiple airspaces across the Middle East have been temporarily restricted, causing delays for shipments transiting through these areas.

Service Impact: All planned DHL connections relying on Middle Eastern transit hubs are currently impacted, with shipments experiencing 24–48 hours transit delay.

Operational Status: DHL Express continues its operations and delivery services as normal, although some temporary delays in delivery are possible.

DPD

Here is the latest operational status for our transport and logistics services across the Middle East.

Update: 4th March

We have successfully secured flight capacity for several key destinations today. Additionally, we have expanded contingency routing to bypass continued local closures. Today, we are able to move volume to the following countries:

Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman: Direct flight capacity has been secured.

Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain: Volume is moving via road from Saudi Arabia.

Israel: All flights remain cancelled, and the country is currently not accessible for deliveries.

Note: Please expect a delay of up to three days for volume moving via the road solution, and an additional two days via direct flights to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Operational impact

By the end of today, we will have cleared the backlog of volume and exported all volume for the six GCC countries.

Due to the restricted capacity and alternative routings, we expect airlines to announce emergency surcharges in the coming days.

We may also need to implement a road surcharge for volume routing via Saudi Arabia for GCC destinations with no direct flights.

We will communicate any surcharge details to you as soon as they are confirmed.

Update: 3rd March

We have successfully secured flight capacity for several key destinations today. Additionally, we have implemented contingency routing to bypass continued local closures. Today (3rd March), we are able to move volume to the following countries:

Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman: Direct flight capacity has been secured today.

Qatar and Kuwait: Volume is moving via road from Saudi Arabia.

Note: Service to Bahrain remains inaccessible at this time as we continue to seek viable routing. Israel is also closed for flights and inaccessible at this time.

Operational impact

Our primary focus today is on clearing the backlog of volume held for all accessible destinations mentioned above. We will have exported all the volume we received up until Friday by the end of today.

We expect the majority of the volume we received on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to move on scheduled flights on Wednesday, 4th March.

Due to the restricted capacity and alternative routings, we expect airlines to announce emergency surcharges in the coming days. Please be assured that our International Commercial team is prepared to negotiate these costs where possible and will be pushing back on any unjustified increases to ensure we protect your interests. We will communicate any surcharge details to you as soon as they are confirmed.

Our commitment

Our team is monitoring the situation hour by hour and staying in close contact with our delivery partners and local authorities. We are committed to moving your volume as soon as it is safe and operationally feasible to do so.

Evri

10th March

The situation in the Middle East continues to evolve following the recent escalation involving Israel, the United States, and Iran.

Israel remains under a nationwide state of emergency, with heightened security measures and some disruption to civilian operations in certain areas. The situation is also impacting regional logistics and transport networks.

While local delays remain, parcels are continuing to move through the network. At present, we are seeing approximately 3–4 days delay against SLA.

Saudi Arabia & Oman: Last-mile delivery operations are functioning normally, with no reported issues.

UAE: Last-mile operations remain stable; however, delays continue within the middle-mile linehaul due to ongoing flight restrictions.

Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait: Our carrier is also preparing to reopen services. We are currently awaiting final confirmation of the official restart date and will communicate this as soon as it is confirmed.

5th March

Israel: Operations continue at a reduced linehaul capacity with a surcharge in place. Clearance and processing are operating without major issues; however, some pickup points are intermittently closing.

As a result, although deliveries are being attempted, they are not always successful, which is causing some delays. At this stage, we recommend allowing an additional 3 days, transit time, subject to change given the fluctuating circumstances.

Oman : BAU

Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar: Services remain suspended. Shipments are currently on hold until air traffic reopens from Oman, or an alternative routing (including potential land options) becomes available.

Saudi Arabia: From Tuesday 3^rd March a £0.45 surcharge per kilo will be applied to all shipments.

UAE: Traffic remains very limited, with space currently available only on select repatriation flights.

Our teams remain in regular contact with local partners and stakeholders, and contingency measures are in place should the situation escalate.

3rd March

UAE: While local operations (including customs clearance and last-mile delivery) remain fully operational, flight availability continues to be the main constraint.

Authorities are currently prioritising the repatriation and movement of passengers who have been in transit since last Friday. Limited flights were authorised yesterday evening specifically for this purpose, which may temporarily limit cargo uplift capacity.

All cargo currently at our Oman facilities remains safe and secure.

Oman: The airspace is open. Hub operations are fully functional. Shipments affected by restricted destinations are being securely held pending route re-opening.

The following lanes remain affected with parcels currently being held in Oman: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar

Flights to Israel remain suspended due to the ongoing closure of airspace in the region. Currently, there is no confirmed date for the resumption of services. For shipments already in Israel that have not yet been delivered, our final mile partners and distributors continue to sort and process parcels where operationally possible. However, delays are expected due to staff shortages and evolving local conditions.

Please note that pickup point availability is changing — some locations have reopened, while others remain closed. Operations are being adjusted in real time based on the situation on the ground. Our airport and linehaul teams are working closely with airline partners and local authorities to secure capacity as soon as airspace permissions are restored.

UPS

UPS is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and using established contingency plans to manage our operations safely and efficiently.

Our focus is on safety while we work to minimise impacts for our customers.

For the most up-to-date information on the status of shipments, customers can track a package on ups.com. Note that the UPS Service Guarantee does not apply to shipments affected.