Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

While business aviation in the Gulf states remains largely grounded by the ongoing military conflict with Iran, data from WingX reveals the extent to which traffic patterns have shifted since Friday. In the week spanning February 23 through March 1, overall business departures from airports in the wider Middle East region declined by 10%—from 1,086 in the previous week to 981.
The data released on Thursday shows that despite the dip in traffic caused by the outbreak of hostilities early on Saturday, 371 aircraft did depart from Middle East airports. Many of these appear to have been moved to seemingly safer locations within or close to the region.
For example, Oman, through which a partially-open air corridor is now being used for some evacuation flights, saw a 220% increase in business jet arrivals between February 27 and March 1, while Cyprus had a 92.9% increase, followed by Greece (35.3%) and France (14.3%). Turkey received almost a quarter of the flights leaving the region, though its airports actually had 20.5% fewer arrivals than the same period in 2025, which WingX suggested means the country is seeing some negative impact from the conflict.
“Overall, the 30.8% decline in total outbound flights versus the same period last year underscores the severity of the demand shock in the Middle East,” WingX stated.
As of 7:15 p.m. UTC on Tuesday, WingX’s live parking data showed 164 business jets grounded at airports across the Middle East with an average duration on the ground of 4.5 days. By 12:25 p.m. UTC on Wednesday, the number of aircraft fell to 140 with an average parking duration of 4.9 days.
The majority of these jets were in Istanbul and Dubai, with others spread across the Gulf, as well as in Israel and other Turkish cities. International SOS warned that the interception of an Iranian ballistic missile in Turkish airspace highlighted the threats to operations beyond the core warzone, with the potential to trigger wider involvement by NATO states under the terms of the organization’s Article 5.
ExecuJet Middle East told AIN that its FBOs at Dubai International (OMDB) and Al Maktoum International (OMDW) airports have remained operational. “Our teams remain focused on supporting clients and operators while closely monitoring the evolving situation and coordinating with the relevant aviation authorities,” a spokeswoman said.
“We have been working closely with operators and authorities to monitor developments and support revised flight planning as operations gradually resume. As part of our contingency planning, we continue to monitor airspace advisories in real time and coordinate alternative routing where possible.”
In a security briefing on Thursday, International SOS analysts reported that significant route restrictions are in force in open airspace, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Syria, and Azerbaijan. Authorities in the UAE are allowing some movements via a corridor between the Emirates and Muscat flight information regions.
On Thursday, an Iranian Shaheed drone hit the terminal building of Nakhchivan International Airport in Azerbaijan. According to Dyami Security Intelligence, the southern portion of the country’s airspace was closed for 12 hours.
According to Hany Bakr, senior v-p for aviation and maritime security with International SOS’s MedAire unit, it could take several months to clear the backlog of grounded aircraft in the region. His colleague, security director Adam Lakhani, said the conflict has widened significantly in the past 72 hours to introduce new risks around locations such as Cyprus, Lebanon, Iraq, and Azerbaijan.
Since the conflict started, International SOS has evacuated more than 300 people and has responded to more than 2,200 cases on behalf of clients. Requests include difficulties in securing vital medications for stranded travelers.

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