Tourists are blocked in the Middle East due to the escalation of the conflict. What the media is writing

The bombing of Iran by the US and Israeli forces and retaliatory strikes on American bases in the Persian Gulf countries took tourists from around the world by surprise. Thousands of travelers are unable to return home due to the closure of airspace, and air cargo transportation is also under threat. How this situation is covered by foreign media is in the Izvestia digest.

CNN: Thousands of international flights from the Middle East are canceled daily

Aviation chaos reigns in the Middle East, thousands of people are trying to fly out of the region, fleeing the conflict. The United States recommends that its citizens leave the Middle East immediately on commercial flights. According to the US State Department, one charter flight with Americans took off from the region on Wednesday. This is the first confirmed evacuation flight organized with the assistance of the United States, and in the future "more flights will be organized throughout the region."

On Thursday morning, the skies over the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, Iraq and Jordan were almost empty. The UAE airline has suspended scheduled flights until March 8, Abu Dhabi has postponed commercial flights until March 6, and Dubai airports recommend travelers not to travel to the airport unless they are contacted directly by airline representatives. According to the data FlightAware.com Thousands of international flights are cancelled daily.

Arrived: imported goods may rise in price by a third due to the conflict in the Middle East

Where will the cargo go bypassing the Strait of Hormuz and how will this affect prices?

Sky News: delay of charter flight for British caused panic attacks in people

The first charter flight organized by the British government for its citizens wishing to leave Oman amid the escalation of the conflict with Iran has not taken place. The passenger who was supposed to fly on this flight said that the check-in process took four hours due to technical problems, and then people had to spend an hour and a half on the bus that was supposed to take them to the plane. People started having panic attacks out of excitement.

Sky News channel contacted the British Foreign Ministry for comments on the flight cancellation. As one of the passengers was informed, due to delays in checking in for the flight, "the pilot has worked his working hours, and he needs a rest." The people were taken back to the hotel. According to available information, the flight has been postponed to a later date.

Daily Mail: foreigners are afraid to talk openly about problems with flights from Dubai

Expats in Dubai talk on social media about how it is "the safest place on Earth," while frightened tourists and Britons try to fly home: some families pay up to £100,000 for private jets to leave the Persian Gulf. According to reports, bloggers are afraid to speak openly about the issue due to fears of deportation, imprisonment or loss of housing.

Hours after Iran's first retaliatory missile strikes on Saturday, the Dubai Media Relations Authority issued a warning against posting images of fires and destruction on social media. According to officials, "outdated images of previous incidents" are being used to create panic. The British who returned to their homeland described "horrific" scenes of attacks on areas popular with Western tourists, including the territory of the five-star Fairmont The Palm Hotel in Dubai.

How to beat: when Iran will lose the ability to launch missiles

Tehran has already lost a significant part of its launchers, but its ability to resist is not limited to them.

Reuters: Escalation in the Middle East has blocked air cargo transportation

Shipments of goods ranging from fresh produce to spare parts have been delayed due to a 22% reduction in air travel and rising tariffs amid escalation in the Middle East. The US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory led to the cancellation of flights throughout the region, including in the key global centers of air cargo transportation — Doha and Dubai. Aevean, an aviation and logistics consulting company, reported that Middle Eastern carriers account for about 13% of the world's air cargo capacity.

Stefan Paul, CEO of the Swiss logistics group Kuehne+Nagel (KNIN.S), said on Tuesday that delays in shipments from Southeast Asia and China to the European and American markets would appear by the beginning of next week. Spare parts and important components for aircraft are also often delivered by air, so prolonged supply disruptions may prevent Middle Eastern air carriers from restoring flights.

The Guardian: airline stocks are falling due to the war in the Middle East

The conflict in the Middle East has forced airlines to radically change flight routes and send passenger planes bypassing the Persian Gulf, or be prepared for catastrophic accidents. On Saturday, after the bombing began, the airlines were able to immediately rebuild routes, as the contingency plan had been prepared a long time ago.

In a blog post, Steve Fox, chief operating officer of Nats, a leading British air traffic control company, said that due to the "black hole" in the airspace of the Middle East, companies are forced to increase flight duration and fuel reserves, which leads to costs. As a result, the shares of European airlines are falling.