Germany organizes evacuations from the Persian Gulf as ITB Berlin suffers the consequences of airspace closures

Germany organizes evacuations from the Gulf as ITB Berlin opens in the shadow of air-traffic chaos

The German federal government has launched preparations for special flights to bring home its citizens from the Persian Gulf region who were stranded there after the sudden closure of airspace and a wave of flight cancellations. Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Muscat in Oman are mentioned as key return points, countries whose air corridors are currently more accessible than those in the Gulf states where the largest hubs have been temporarily paralyzed. In parallel, the World Tourism Network (WTN) from Berlin is publicly calling on the German authorities not to limit assistance only to German travelers, but to—wherever possible—provide logistical and consular support also to international tourism professionals who, because of the crisis, have been left “halfway” to or from the world’s largest tourism trade fair, ITB Berlin.

Airspace closes, hubs stop: why the problem emerged

According to reports by multiple international media, the escalation of conflict in the Middle East prompted a number of states to temporarily close or restrict their airspace, which in a short time caused the largest wave of disruption in global air traffic since the pandemic years. The consequences were felt fastest in the Gulf region, which over recent decades has grown into one of the world’s main transit “hubs”: a large number of travelers between Europe and Asia, Africa, or Australia rely precisely on connections in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Doha.

In such circumstances, some carriers temporarily suspended or drastically reduced the number of flights, while routes of other companies were rerouted far away from risk areas, extending journeys and creating additional pressure on airports that remained operational. For travelers this meant waiting for days, uncertainty about replacement flights, and complex combinations of ground transport to alternative departure points.

Berlin’s plan: return via Riyadh and Muscat

The German repatriation plan is based on the assessment that Riyadh and Muscat are, at least in this phase of the crisis, realistic “exit points” from the region. The German foreign minister Johann Wadephul, according to German media, emphasized that safety is the top priority and that talks and operational preparations are under way so that aircraft can be dispatched to these destinations. In the same context, Lufthansa’s readiness is also mentioned to, if necessary, provide capacity for flights that would return citizens to Germany.

An important element of this model is the fact that many travelers are stuck in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where the main airports are crucial for global connections. When such hubs stop, the domino effect is felt globally: cancellations spill over to flights from Europe and Asia, and queues for re-routing grow on other continents as well. That is why, in crisis situations, “passable” corridors are often sought through states that can still maintain regular or at least limited operations.

The tourism sector under pressure: ITB Berlin begins amid the crisis

All this is happening at a time when ITB Berlin, the leading global B2B tourism fair, is being held in Berlin from March 3 to 5, 2026, marking its 60th anniversary this year. Organizers previously announced a strong international turnout, with thousands of exhibitors and a focus on discussions about sustainability, technological change, and sector resilience. But the current crisis is now testing exactly what is being discussed on the fair’s stages: how vulnerable global tourism is when air corridors “close” and logistical chains are disrupted.

Berlin’s mayor Kai Wegner publicly warned that war and security escalation have direct consequences for travel and that many passengers and some fair participants have remained blocked at international airports. According to him, the question is how much the disruptions will affect this year’s ITB and tourist traffic to Berlin, while for a concrete assessment, as the city tourism organization also notes, it is still too early.

World Tourism Network’s call: assistance also for non-residents

In such a context, WTN, a network that brings together part of the tourism industry and operates from Berlin, appeals to the German federal government to, alongside repatriating its own citizens, consider a broader form of support for tourism professionals from other countries. According to publicly released messages from the network, these are exhibitors, buyers, and delegates who, due to flight cancellations, have remained stuck in transit points such as Dubai, Doha, or Bahrain—without a clear path to Berlin or back home.

In practice, this call does not mean that Germany should assume the role of a global “savior”, but that at the level of logistics, information, and coordination it could help those who are in Berlin or are traveling to it and cannot continue their journey. This includes clear information on possible routes, contacts with relevant consular services, coordination with the fair organizers and—if some participants arrive in Berlin but later cannot leave—support in finding temporary accommodation and alternative transport options.

What travelers and business travelers in tourism can expect

Because of the scale of the disruption, the key word is uncertainty. Although some carriers are trying to gradually re-establish limited flights, travelers are facing schedule changes “hour by hour”, and in some cases the need to change connection plans and entry points into Europe. This particularly affects business travelers in tourism, because ITB Berlin is an event where contracts and packages for the coming seasons are negotiated: from airlines and hotel chains to destination organizations and technology suppliers.

Alongside commercial challenges, the security dimension is also growing. Airspace closures are typically introduced due to a risk assessment for civil aviation, which means travel planning is no longer reduced only to price and time, but also to route assessment, travel insurance, visa regimes for alternative transit states, and conditions of stay in the case of multi-day waiting.

Wider consequences: a blow to global logistics and confidence in tourism flows

Tourism is extremely sensitive to geopolitical shocks. When the flow of passengers through major hubs is disrupted, the consequences spill over to the entire chain: from smaller airports that depend on connections, through tour operators and agencies, to hotels and service providers at destinations. In the first days of such crises, sharp increases in ticket-change costs, pressure on customer services, and an increased number of requests for refunds or rebooking are commonly recorded.

In this case, the additional important fact is that Gulf hubs are crucial for intercontinental traffic. When Dubai or Doha limit operations, the effect is not local but global: travelers from Asia to Europe are left without connections, and flights from Europe to India, Southeast Asia, or Australia seek alternative corridors. Air-traffic experts warn that such disruptions often last longer than the airspace “closure” itself, because aircraft and crews must be returned to the schedule, and airports reduce backlogs.

What is known at this moment—and what is still unclear

At the level of official information, it is known that Germany plans or is preparing flights to Riyadh and Muscat as operational repatriation points, in coordination with local authorities and commercial carriers. At the same time, international media report broad air-traffic restrictions in several states in the region, with thousands of canceled flights and hundreds of thousands of passengers waiting for new routes.

What remains unclear for now is the timeline for normalization. In similar situations, the key factor is the security assessment: even when airspace is formally reopened, carriers and regulatory bodies may keep restrictions in place or continue rerouting routes until the risk is deemed acceptable. It is also not entirely clear how many international delegates will manage to reach ITB Berlin on time and whether some business meetings will be moved to online formats or postponed.

Possible support measures for ITB participants

In the industry, pragmatic, “soft” measures are increasingly mentioned that do not intrude on the sovereignty or responsibilities of individual states, but can mitigate the consequences:

• centralized information on available routes and flight status, aligned with the recommendations of the competent authorities
• coordination with the fair organizer regarding registrations, extension of obligations, and the possibility of digital participation
• support with accommodation and administrative issues for those who remain in transit or in Berlin longer than planned
• clear communication by carriers on refund rules, ticket changes, and priorities for vulnerable groups

As the situation develops, the real impact on ITB Berlin and the broader tourism market will depend on how long airspace restrictions last and whether stable alternative corridors are established. For Berlin, which during the fair week traditionally becomes the center of the global tourism industry, this is also a test of the city’s and the state’s ability to ensure functional infrastructure in crisis conditions—not only for its citizens, but also for international partners on whom tourism largely depends.

Sources:
- Die Welt – report on Germany’s planned flights to Riyadh and Muscat and statements by the foreign minister ( link )
- The Guardian – overview of the scale of air-traffic chaos and airspace closures in the region ( link )
- Euractiv – analysis of how European countries are organizing the return of citizens and what the closures mean for travelers in the Gulf ( link )
- ITB Berlin – official website and press materials on the March 3–5, 2026 dates and the fair concept ( link )
- ITB Berlin – press release on the 60th anniversary and international exhibitor profile ( link )
- eTurboNews – report on the World Tourism Network appeal to extend support to international ITB participants ( link )