FOLLOWING escalating tensions in the Middle East, all flights between the Chinese mainland and Iran that are operated by Chinese airlines and scheduled from March 3 to 9 have been canceled, while many flights to other Middle Eastern destinations have also been canceled, according to data from industry information provider Umetrip.
From March 3 to 9, approximately 100 flights were scheduled between the Chinese mainland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), about 40 more cancellations than during the same period in February; and about 30 scheduled flights were planned between the Chinese mainland and Saudi Arabia, about 10 more cancellations than in the same period in February.
From March 3 to 9, there were zero bookings for flights from the Chinese mainland to Iran, and roughly 10,000 bookings for flights from the Chinese mainland to the UAE.
VariFlight data also showed a similar trend. According to data updated by VariFlight on Monday afternoon, 15,086 of 79,776 scheduled Middle East-linked flights for March 2-8 were canceled, an overall cancellation rate of 18.9 percent, with Monday alone showing a cancellation rate of 32.2 percent.
VariFlight said that operating services were largely concentrated via Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt; for the week, 29.3 percent of Chinese mainland-linked flights to the region were canceled and only 19 flights remained operating, mainly through Istanbul, Cairo and Jeddah.
