Flight prices between Asia and Europe have skyrocketed following closures of major Middle Eastern aviation hubs due to the US-Israel war against Iran, with airline websites showing many popular routes completely booked for days, Julie Zhu, Reuters’ Asia senior financial correspondent, reported on Tuesday.

Dubai International Airport, the world's busiest international hub normally handling over 1,000 flights daily, remained closed for a fourth consecutive day on Tuesday, Zhu reported. Closures have slashed capacity on routes where Emirates and Qatar Airways typically command high market share, particularly Australia to Europe connections.

Australia’s Flight Centre Travel Group reported a 75 percent increase in customer calls to stores and emergency assistance lines since the crisis began. Global Managing Director Andrew Stark stated the company has teams working round the clock helping disrupted passengers.

“Australians are very resilient and are already rebooking flights to the UK and Europe via alternative routes through China, Singapore and other Asian hubs, as well as North America via hubs such as Houston”, Stark told Reuters.

Zhu checked several airline websites on Tuesday, revealing scarce near-term availability and dramatically inflated prices. Cathay Pacific showed no economy seats on the Hong Kong-London route until March 11, with a one-way ticket costing at least HKD 21,158 (USD 2,705), falling to a more normal HKD 5,054 later in the month.

Qantas Airways offered no economy tickets for Sydney-London via its normal Perth and Singapore routing until March 17, priced at AUD 3,129 (USD 2,220) one-way. For earlier dates, the airline showed expensive options with non-traditional stopovers including Los Angeles and Johannesburg, according to the report.

Thailand's Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed Thai Airways is experiencing fully booked Europe-bound flights as European tourists avoid Middle East transit. A Bangkok-London economy ticket was available for March 15 at THB 71,190 (USD 2,265), dropping to 27,045 baht by 18th March.

Mainland Chinese airlines showed similar surge, with Air China’s only Wednesday option for Beijing-London being business class at 50,490 yuan (USD 7,336) one-way, Zhu found. A return economy ticket typically costs under 10,000 yuan.

Taiwan’s EVA Airways reported booking surge for Europe-bound flights as passengers seek alternative routing. Carriers offering non-stop Asia-Europe flights bypass closed Middle Eastern airspace via northern routes through the Caucasus and Afghanistan or southern paths through Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Oman, adding flight time and fuel costs.

Subhas Menon, head of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, warned. “Right now the whole of the Middle East is out of bounds, which is a high price for some airlines. If Europe can only be served at a high cost, airline profitability will be undermined.”

Alton Aviation Consultancy predicted short-term gains for airlines operating non-stop services or alternate hubs including Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines.

Flight cancellations jumped dramatically between February 28 and March 2, reaching 1,519, 2,460 and 2,187 respectively, with Dubai accounting for roughly half, the Reuters report stated.