Middle East turmoil leads to flight chaos and ‘significant’ financial losses in SA
· Citizen
The temporary closure of large sections of Middle Eastern airspace has disrupted not only outbound travel from South Africa but also inbound flights, with multiple long-haul services cancelled and further suspensions extended until Monday morning.
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Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) confirmed on Sunday that operations by Gulf carriers were directly affected following the escalation of conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US.
Flights cancelled after attacks in Middle East
At OR Tambo International Airport, eight flights were cancelled, including one inbound arrival and seven outbound departures. Cape Town International Airport had four outbound cancellations and King Shaka International Airport in Durban reported two outbound cancellations.
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While the majority of cancellations reported by Acsa were outbound, the inbound impact is significant. South Africa receives thousands of international arrivals daily, many of whom route through major Gulf hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi before connecting onward domestically or regionally.
Carriers affected include Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. Israeli carrier El Al has cancelled all its international flights until Tuesday.
Beyond the thousands of passengers missing trips to the Middle East and onward destinations, the suspension of inbound flights on these carriers has immediate consequences for domestic and regional connections.
Knock-on effects of cancelled flights
Katherine Whelan, head of commercial at Airlink, said many passengers arriving via the Middle East require onward connections within South Africa or across southern Africa.
“Cancellations of these inbound flights mean those passengers are no longer able to connect on any local or regional airline,” she said. “In the same way, many passengers who need to connect outbound to catch their international departure are now stuck in southern Africa for the time being, unless they are able to reroute on another airline that is in a position to operate flights.”
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Whelan said the knock-on effect extends beyond airlines.
“The cancellation of multiple flights will certainly have a knock-on effect in terms of airlines, hotels, lodges, car hire, business in general, friends, relatives and the broader tourism industry,” she said.
Inbound tour operator Travelwings’ Sean Bradley said the company is monitoring the situation closely. Airlines are constantly adjusting schedules, routing and airspace usage in line with real-time directives from aviation authorities, he said.
Bradley added that Travelwings’ call centre team is proactively communicating with customers booked on Middle East carriers and updating advisory notices across its platforms. He advised travellers to check the official website of their airline for the most up-to-date information before contacting agents.
Grenville Salmon, founder and managing director of Pace Car Rental, said the short-term impact on inbound tourism is unavoidable.
“These hubs are critical transit points for international travellers, so disruptions typically result in postponed or cancelled trips,” he said. “For the car rental sector, this means a temporary dip in airport collections and advance bookings. However, we expect demand to recover quickly once flight schedules stabilise.”
Significant financial cost
However temporary, the disruption may be, the financial cost is significant.
An aviation expert said while the operational impact may appear short-term, in rand terms the losses could be substantial. Flights, car rental, accommodation and broader tourism spend could translate into several million rands a day lost, they said.
Guy Leitch said passenger compensation for disruptions of this nature is not automatic in terms of the Montreal Convention.
It does not mandate cash refunds for cancellations, but it does make airlines liable for proven damages resulting from delays and cancellations. However, passengers must provide evidence of losses.
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