Travellers are paying double the usual airfare on Cathay Pacific Airways flights from more than 50 cities to Hong Kong as the Iran war drives up demand for routes that avoid the conflict zone, with London, Madrid and Chennai seeing the steepest surges, the South China Morning Post has found.
The US-Israeli attacks on Iran and subsequent retaliatory strikes that spilled over into neighbouring Gulf states over the course of a week have forced much of the Middle East’s airspace to remain closed, pushing airfares higher globally as airlines and passengers scramble to divert and rebook flights.
An SCMP reporter tracked ticket prices for the earliest available direct flights by Cathay Pacific from 57 destinations across Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Americas and Africa – all routes available outside the Middle East, mainland China and Taiwan.
On average, the cheapest available ticket price for flights departing from Saturday onwards has surged by 93 per cent compared with the upper range of typical prices tracked by Google Flights over the past 12 months.
Airfares on routes from Europe saw the steepest surges. While one-way economy tickets were unavailable, a business-class seat on Cathay’s London-Hong Kong flight on Saturday cost HK$53,486 (US$6,837) – about 600 per cent higher than the typical price of HK$7,400 for this period.
The second-priciest ticket overall was from Madrid, costing HK$51,258 (US$6,553) for a business-class seat – roughly 500 per cent more than the usual HK$8,500 fare.
The most expensive economy-class ticket back to Hong Kong was from Zurich. A direct flight on Sunday cost 3,948 Swiss francs (US$5,064) – more than 300 per cent higher than the usual HK$9,800.
Ticket prices for departures from India also surged sharply. A seat from Chennai, the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu, back to Hong Kong on Saturday cost 183,551 rupees (US$2,000), about 580 per cent higher than the usual upper range of HK$2,300.
The cheapest seat from New Delhi to Hong Kong on Saturday was a business-class ticket priced at 178,459 rupees, or HK$15,207 – about 134 per cent higher than the typical upper limit of HK$6,500 for economy class.
Bengaluru, New Delhi, Colombo, Madrid, and London had only business-class or higher tickets left for Saturday. For some European destinations, such as Amsterdam, Munich, and Brussels, the earliest available economy-class seats were available from March 12 onwards.

Steven Dominique Cheung, chairman of the Hong Kong Professional Pilots Association, said global flight rerouting caused by the Middle East crisis had intensified demand for seats, triggering dynamic pricing mechanisms in response.
Cheung explained that with international flights operated by Middle Eastern carriers suspended or sharply reduced, airlines needed to rebook passengers on alternative routes, sometimes with other operators, which in turn affected ticket availability in major transit hubs worldwide.
“Carriers will be scrambling to secure seats for their own clients, especially premium ones. If you also choose to buy tickets close to the departure date, availability would be very limited,” Cheung said.
India would be among the most heavily affected locations in the global scramble for air tickets, Cheung said, as its proximity to the Middle East made it a high-demand alternative transit point.
Bangkok and Zurich, along with the Vietnamese cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, were also popular transit hubs, the pilot added.
The SCMP found that an economy ticket from Bangkok to Hong Kong on Sunday cost 21,900 baht (US$688), more than three times the usual HK$1,400.
Airfares from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi also surged by 248 per cent and 127 per cent, reaching HK$6,961.40 and HK$3,286, respectively.
The pilot added that some passengers might also opt for direct flights back to Hong Kong after disruptions to Middle East transit routes, in a bid to ensure safety, further driving up demand for tickets.
The SCMP learned that the city’s flag carrier, Cathay Pacific, had been adjusting routes to redirect capacity after suspending services to and from Dubai and Riyadh. But the airline had no plans to add more long-haul flights amid surging demand, citing logistics and manpower constraints.
“It’s very hard to add [more flights] as each route and flight would need government approval for traffic rights. Then you need to talk to airports and suppliers on fuel supply and bay availability, arrange manpower and aircraft shifts, as well as gauge customer demand,” Cheung said.
Some major Middle Eastern airlines also announced plans to resume operations.
Emirates said on Friday night that it expected a return to 100 per cent of its network within the coming days, pending airspace availability and compliance with all operational requirements.
The airline said it carried approximately 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on Thursday and that by Saturday, it would operate 106 return daily flights to 83 destinations, representing almost 60 per cent of its route network.
Etihad Airways said it would resume a limited flight schedule to selected destinations, including Hong Kong, from Friday.
Qatar’s airspace remained closed with all flights suspended as of Friday.
As of 5pm on Friday, 790 Hongkongers stranded in the Middle East had contacted the Immigration Department, while about 250 had safely left the region. Around 90 per cent of the Hong Kong residents in the region were in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Additional reporting by Ambrose Li

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<p>As the Iran war disrupts Middle Eastern airspace, Cathay Pacific fares have surged, with travelers from over 50 cities facing double the usual airfare to Hong Kong. The average ticket price has increased by 93%, with business-class seats from London costing around HK$53,486, a 600% rise. Demand for alternative routes has intensified due to flight cancellations by Middle Eastern carriers, leading to limited availability and higher prices. Cathay Pacific is adjusting routes but not adding long-haul flights due to logistical constraints, while Emirates and Etihad plan to resume operations soon.</p>

As Iran war closes Middle East skies, how high can Cathay Pacific fares fly?