Air ticket prices on routes between Asia and Europe have surged by up to 560% compared to the same period last year, and London — one of the world’s busiest long-haul aviation hubs — is at the centre of a travel market that has been comprehensively disrupted by the Iran war.
The increases are being driven by airspace closures across Iran and large swathes of the Middle East, which have forced carriers to reroute flights through longer, more fuel-intensive paths around the Arabian Peninsula and, in some cases, further north through Central Asian corridors.
Higher fuel costs — Brent crude has been trading above $100 for most of March — are compounding the direct effect of longer flight times, making every long-haul journey materially more expensive to operate and, consequently, to price for passengers.
Heathrow remains one of the most significantly affected airports in the world for this disruption pattern. Its role as a connection hub between the UK and Asia means a disproportionate share of the rerouted flights flow through its terminals, and the knock-on effects — extended turnaround times, crew scheduling pressures, increased fuel costs per departure — are being absorbed across every operator using it.
The impact on London’s hospitality and events economy is emerging as a secondary concern. Air ticket prices at this level suppress leisure travel meaningfully, and with the 2026 World Cup drawing closer, there is growing anxiety in the industry about whether the price shock will dent International visitor numbers for what was expected to be a record-breaking summer for UK tourism.
Business travel has been equally affected, with corporate travel managers across the City scrambling to renegotiate travel policies and manage the budget implications of a route pricing environment nobody had modelled into their 2026 planning.
The immediate relief would come from a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a restoration of normal Middle East airspace. Trump has now extended his deadline for Iran to comply until April 6, meaning the disruption could persist for at least another week — and quite possibly much longer if diplomatic progress remains as slow as it has been throughout the conflict’s first month.