Middle-East airspace closure diverts Gulf flights to Rome, stretching Italy’s hub capacity
Gulf carriers are diverting flights to Rome after airspace closures across the Middle East, flooding Fiumicino with unscheduled wide-body arrivals and stranding transit passengers. The episode exposes operational pinch points just weeks before Italy must process even more biometric data under the EU’s new Entry/Exit System.
Mar 17, 2026
