South Caucasus becomes an air traffic hub

As a result of the airspace restrictions in the Middle East, Azerbaijan and Georgia have become important transit regions for air traffic between Europe and Asia.

Since the end of February, air traffic in parts of the Middle East has been severely affected. Several countries in the region, including Iran, Iraq and Israel, have partially closed or restricted their airspace. Airlines have therefore had to reroute numerous routes.

Data from the flight tracking service Flightradar24 has since shown a significant increase in air traffic over the South Caucasus, particularly over Azerbaijan and southern Georgia.

Enger corridor over Azerbaijan

The situation was further exacerbated after Azerbaijan temporarily closed part of its southern airspace. The reason for this was a reported drone attack.

The authorities subsequently closed the southern section of the Baku Flight Information Region (FIR). Since then, international flights have had to use a narrow corridor in the north of the country.

According to aviation data, this strip, which is around 100 kilometers wide, has become one of the most important transit routes between Europe and Asia, as airlines are currently avoiding large parts of the Middle East.

Drone attack in Nakhichevan

According to the Azerbaijani authorities, drones launched from Iran attacked targets in Azerbaijan on March 5. An airport terminal in the exclave of Nakhichevan was damaged and four civilians were injured.

The Ministry of Defense stated that a total of four drones were fired. One hit the terminal building, another landed near a school in a village.

President Ilham Aliyev described the incident as an "act of aggression" and announced a response.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei rejected the accusations. He stated that Iranian forces had not carried out an attack and spoke of possible provocations.

Airlines adjust routes

While the southern airspace of Azerbaijan was closed, the remaining northern corridor developed into an important connection for airplanes between Europe and Asia.

Flightradar24 shows a high concentration of aircraft movements along this route as airlines try to maintain long-haul connections while avoiding closed airspace.

Under normal circumstances, major hubs in the Gulf - such as Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi - act as central transfer points for flights between the continents. However, the current restrictions have temporarily disrupted this model.

Dubai International Airport, normally one of the world's busiest airports for international passengers, has had to temporarily suspend operations, leading to numerous flight cancellations.

Impact on aviation and supply chains

Airlines around the world are adapting their route networks to the situation. European airlines such as Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM have reduced or suspended connections to parts of the Middle East while increasing direct flights between Europe and Asia.

Global logistics have also been affected. According to Reuters, manufacturers in South Asia are reporting delays in air freight shipments. Deliveries of clothing for international retailers, including suppliers to Zara parent company Inditex, are currently being held up at airports in Bangladesh and India.

The United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, said it was working on temporary safe air corridors that could accommodate additional flights in the future.