Every airline has contingency plans to manage disruptions from extreme weather or mechanical failures, but those based in the Middle East always have another item on their list: war.
And last week, Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways Co. was one of those mobilizing after the US and Israel attacked Iran. The low-cost carrier grounded planes, whisked its crews and passengers to safe locations and worked diplomatic channels to get 200 Iranian customers back home by land through Iraq, Chief Executive Officer Barathan Pasupathi said.
Enacting these steps was complicated by the fact that Pasupathi, a Singaporean national who previously ran Jetstar Asia Airways, was in Munich when he received a call that nations across the Gulf were closing their airspace.
“We are all probably living the worst-case scenario, which was one of the plans,” Pasupathi said in an interview. “Though we do not know precisely when this will happen and where it will happen, we were prepared.”
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While Jazeera only commands a small fleet of 23 aircraft – all Airbus SE 320s – the company’s challenges mirror those of the entire industry in the Persian Gulf, faced with the unprecedented reality of having to effectively shut operations.
Emirates, the biggest airline in the region, suspended commercial services until Saturday, marking a full week of no flights in a part of the world that’s usually a key destination for global travelers.
Airlines worldwide have canceled more than 15,000 flights since the war began, with the biggest carriers pulling back on services to hubs in the Middle East.
The volleys of missiles and drones are putting airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Kuwait at risk. Kuwait International Airport was hit by a drone Saturday, and the attack caused several light injuries and damages to the passenger building.
Pasupathi said the airline’s terminal is still functional and, whenever airspaces reopen, he could have the carrier operational within six hours. He was speaking from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the company wants to start operating some flights since the kingdom’s airspace remains open.
About 10% of global traffic flows through Gulf hubs, meaning the repercussions of the cancellations will last beyond the reopenings of airspaces.
“The Middle East, in the whole sheer effort to diversify away from oil, has built amazing tourism infrastructure, amazing hospitality infrastructure and created hundreds and thousands of jobs,” Pasupathi said. “So this is one of the largest impacts in the region.”