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Saudi Arabian airport operations disrupted

Operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia have been suspended following a series of missile attacks targeting airport infrastructure. An unidentified projectile hit King Khalid International Airport on Sunday following several missile attacks earlier in the week that resulted in a dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries. As a result, hundreds of flights have been cancelled. In an update issued this morning, King Khalid International Airport said that it would extend the suspension of operations at the airport. Meanwhile, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said Dammam International Airport was "targeted by an attack" on 11 October. Houthi militia leaders in Yemen have again warned airlines, travellers and shipping companies "against using Saudi airports and airspace", adding that "they are exposed to targeting and a theatre for operations by our forces". "[We urge] everyone to take our warnings seriously, and Saudi Arabia bears responsibility for any failed interceptions," the militia says. It adds that the "direct" Dammam airport attack "led to the disruption of air traffic" and was one of four operations carried out in the last 24h with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against airports and energy infrastructure. Previous attacks, attributed to Houthi forces, have been carried out at King Khalid and other sites in Saudi Arabia, with earlier strikes on the King Khalid and Abha airports having resulted in fatalities and aircraft damage. Europe's safety regulator has advised airlines to avoid the airspace around Riyadh and Dammam following the increased military activity.

Fleet expansion fuels Emirates SkyCargo's South American demand growth

Emirates SkyCargo's South American network expansion has led to double-digit percentage volume increases. Earlier this year, the Dubai-based carrier added seven weekly freighter flights from the region, including three extra flights from Buenos Aires, two additional flights from Sao Paulo, one from Bogota and another from Quito. Emirates SkyCargo said the additional flights had facilitated a "significant increase" in export volumes in the first half of the 2025/26 financial year, with Argentina growing by 57% year on year, Brazil by 22%, 18% from Colombia and 14% from Ecuador. Badr Abbas, divisional senior vice president, Emirates SkyCargo, said: "South America is a dynamic emerging hub for exports across a range of sectors including high-quality food products and fresh flowers that rely on fast and reliable air cargo connectivity to reach global customers. "Since April this year, we have transported more than 22,000 tonnes of export cargo from our South American markets, a growth of 18% over the volumes carried during the same period in the previous year." Drilling further into the increases, the carrier said that from Ecuador, the carrier was now flying six times a week and offering export capacity of around 600 tonnes. The flights go directly from Quito to Amsterdam, which is host to one of the world's largest flower markets. Flowers account for more than 90% of all export cargo uplifted from Ecuador by Emirates SkyCargo. During the financial year 25/26 the cargo business transported nearly 24,000 tonnes of flowers. Meanwhile, the carrier added a weekly freighter flight from Bogota in May and it has helped meet demand for flower exports. "In Financial year 25/26, the carrier transported more than 3,500 tonnes of flowers from the country, supporting producers with reliable access to international markets," Emirates said. For Argentina, the carrier commenced weekly freighter operations from Buenos Aires in March and in July increased to three weekly freighter flights. Since April 2024, Emirates SkyCargo has facilitated the movement of approximately 5,000 tonnes of exports from Argentina, including perishables such as fresh fruit, salmon and meat products. Finally, for Brazil, Emirates SkyCargo now flies four times per week from Sao Paulo "supporting the movement of a broad range of commodities to destinations across its international network". The extra flights have been enabled by the expansion of the Emirates fleet. The cargo carrier has taken delivery of seven Boeing 777 production freighter aircraft since March 2026 as well as the first Boeing 777-300ERSF converted from an Emirates passenger aircraft. By the end of March 2027, the carrier will operate a fleet of 23 dedicated freighter aircraft. Globally, the air cargo carrier has expanded its global network of freighter destinations from just over 40 in March 2026 to over 60 by July 2026.

High yields spark new container services on 'bumpy' India-Middle East trade

Historically high freight yields are driving a wave of dedicated container services between India and the Middle East, a tradelane that has been through a number of upheavals since the outbreak of Iran-US military tension. The latest example: Maersk has just rolled out a new container shuttle loop from India's Nhava Sheva port (JNPA) to Khor Fakkan in the UAE, "to support customers seeking better service reliability". The service, which began with the 2,600 teu Maersk Namibia departing JNPA on 24 September, is to initially offer a fortnightly frequency, according to industry sources. The standalone loop complements regular sailings by the Danish carrier between JNPA and Salalah in Oman, a key hub for the Gemini partners, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd. Khor Fakkan has emerged as a critical gateway for imports into the Middle East in the larger context of shipping chokepoints around the Strait of Hormuz corridor. Average spot rates ex-Nhava Sheva to Khor Fakkan are now in the range of $6,000 to $7,000 per 40ft. Ocean rates have also continued to spike sharply for bookings out of JNPA to other Gulf ports - as high as $9,500 per 40ft for Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and around $10,000per 40ft hi-cube to Umm Qasr in Iraq. India-Persian Gulf trades have also been a target of Asia-centric regional lines, and market sources are reporting more forays. Emerging Chinese carrier CULines is said to have firm plans for an Asia-Middle East service, beginning in late 2026 or early 2027. Sources believe it will be under a vessel-sharing agreement with other predominant intra-Asia carriers. CULines has cemented its liner network in recent months by acquiring more ships and expanding market reach beyond the traditional Asian landscape. Another recent 'opportunistic' entrant was UAE-based Marsa Ocean Shipping. The common feeder operator last month opened a service linking Cochin and JNPA to Fujairah in the UAE and Sohar in Oman. But Middle East port conditions continue to keep carrier networks for that region in a state of flux, operating in a stop-start fashion. Hapag-Lloyd last week told customers it would not accept new Upper Gulf bookings to be transhipped via Salalah until further notice. The move came just two months after the German carrier had reopened Upper Gulf bookings after a prolonged halt. Much of the pressure plaguing Middle East gateways is linked to a shortage of assets needed to move imports across the border overland, especially using truck fleets, industry updates suggest. As the landside struggle persists, carriers keep rolling out surcharges on Gulf cargo in a bid to recoup the extra costs they arguably incur. MSC has just implemented a new "regional cost recovery surcharge" of $1,000 per teu and $2,000 per 40ft for containers booked from Europe to the the UAE and Upper Gulf.