Leading airport slot manager, Airport Coordination Limited, says 35% of take-off and landing slots during May have been cancelled across the 30 Middle East airports it serves in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

This is down on the 54% cancellation rates experienced in through March and April with services at United Arab Emirates airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi most impacted by the US-Israel war on Iran.

CEO Neil Garwood says: “May already shows 35% of slots cancelled although the actual outcome will be dependent on events.

“The airports furthest from Iran, such as those in western Saudia Arabia, are less affected.”

ACL manages slots at 80 airports in the Middle East, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Garwood says the conflict has caused significant collateral damage in all these markets with surging jet fuel prices and limited supply prompting airlines to raise airfares and cut flights.

“We’ve been tracking airports across 11 countries since the start of hostilities that have experienced varying degrees of disturbance,” Garwood says.

At Sydney Airport, where ACL manages the slots, cancellations for flights to and from the Middle East were 60% in March, increasing to 67% during April.

For May, Middle East slot cancellations at Sydney are currently 32%, a number that may increase during the month.

At London’s Heathrow Airport, where ACL also manages the slots, air transport movements to and from the Middle East fell 47% during March while passenger numbers for the month slumped 51% over the previous year according to airport data.

Middle East slot cancellations at Heathrow during May are, like Sydney, at 32%.

ACL’s Garwood says communication between airlines and the slot manager is crucial during a fast-moving crisis.

“Operators want early clarity around whether their future slot allocation will be protected if they cancel to help with planning and route workarounds,” he says.

“ACL issued tailored guidance to assist airlines with how they could respond to the events within the rules and regulations of each jurisdiction and worked with industry bodies to harmonise this where possible.

“We’ve seen airlines be agile about recycling slots for different purposes. For example, avoiding the Middle East region and putting extra flights on routes as demand patterns change.”

As fighting in Iran and Lebanon has subsided, Garwood says the focus is now on fuel supply and its impact on cancellations.