Airline ticket prices soar on Asia-Europe routes after Gulf airport closures

The price of flights between Asia and Europe has soared after the closure of key Middle Eastern hubs due to the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, with airline websites showing tickets on many popular routes booked out for days.



Major Gulf hubs, including the world's busiest international airport Dubai - which normally handles over 1,000 flights a day - remained closed for a fourth day on Tuesday, slashing capacity on popular routes like Australia to Europe, where Emirates and Qatar Airways normally have a high market share.



Australia's Flight Centre Travel Group has experienced a 75% increase in calls to its stores and emergency assistance lines since the crisis began and has teams working around the clock to help disrupted customers, its Global Managing Director Andrew Stark said.



Carriers that offer non-stop Asia-Europe flights are able to bypass the closed Middle Eastern airspace by flying north via the Caucasus then Afghanistan or south via Egypt then Saudi then Oman.



But it may add to flight times and fuel usage, driving up costs at a time when oil prices have spiked, in a move that could lead to higher fares over the longer term.