Asian airlines that gained passengers and charged higher fares on European routes after the start of the Iran conflict are seeing those advantages erode as Gulf carriers restore flights and offer lower ticket prices, industry data shows.

Gulf Carriers Rebound

Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways carried nearly one-third of passengers from Asia to Europe and more than half of those from Australia and New Zealand to Europe before the conflict, according to Cirium data.

At the start of the Iran war on February 28, their Gulf hub airports were closed due to drone and missile attacks, but by mid-June the airlines’ flights had returned to around 90% of normal levels, Flightradar24 data shows.

Between March and May, Middle Eastern carriers improved from a nearly 60% drop in passenger numbers from a year earlier to a 28% decline, according to International Air Transport Association data.

Asian Flights Full

In June, Australia lifted a “do not travel” warning that had voided travelers’ insurance policies at Gulf hubs. Flight Centre Travel Group said its bookings on Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad were up 36% the following week.

Some travelers with pre-war bookings on Gulf carriers had bought refundable backup flights to Europe on Asian airlines as they assessed the security situation, said Michael Schischka, a senior adviser at Mary Rossi Travel in Sydney who specializes in luxury European trips.

A Korean Air spokesperson said it had experienced a year-on-year increase in load factors on its European routes between March and May, but transfer traffic demand had softened as Gulf carriers resumed operations over the course of the second quarter.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.