The airspace blockade in the Red Sea Gulf has intensified, resulting in a significant reduction in global air cargo capacity
Due to the long-term airspace blockade and strict control in the Red Sea and Gulf regions, international flights between Europe, Asia, and the United States have had to abandon conventional short haul routes and turn to long-distance detours in the north-south direction, resulting in a large-scale adjustment of the transportation pattern of the routes.
The route detour directly extends the flight distance, and the single flight duration of all detour flights generally increases by 1 to 3 hours. Due to the constraint of the maximum daily flight duration of a single aircraft, the number of flights that can be executed by the aircraft per day has significantly decreased after the range has been extended, directly causing a 12% to 20% reduction in the actual effective capacity of global air cargo transportation.
From the perspective of the damaged entities, local airlines rooted in the Middle East region have been particularly affected. Data shows that the overall cargo capacity of Middle Eastern airlines in April this year dropped significantly by 22.9% year-on-year, far exceeding the global average. On the one hand, the core routes of Middle Eastern airlines heavily rely on the airspace of the Red Sea and Gulf waterways, and the operational costs and time losses caused by detours have a more direct impact on their business; On the other hand, long-distance detours increase the comprehensive expenses of fuel, crew, and takeoff and landing, further compressing the profit margin of freight business.
There is no obvious sign of easing in the current airspace control situation, and flight detours may continue in the short term. Cross border foreign trade, fresh produce, high-end industrial products, and other industries highly dependent on air freight will continue to face multiple pressures such as slower transportation times, rising air freight prices, and tight cabin space.