Hecksher Customer Advisory | 2 March 2026

The security situation in the Middle East has escalated rapidly over the past 72 hours. This is now having direct operational consequences for both air and ocean freight – with wider ripple effects expected across global networks. While the situation is evolving, we are already seeing measurable impact on capacity, routing stability, and pricing.

Below is what this means for your shipments – and how Hecksher is responding.

What’s happening

Air Freight

Multiple airlines have imposed airspace restrictions, route diversions, and temporary service suspensions across parts of the Middle East.

This is reducing effective global air freight capacity. Aircraft are being rerouted, flight times are extended, and certain lanes are experiencing cancellations or booking pauses.

Expected impact:

· Short-term space constraints

· Upward pressure on air freight rates

· Increased schedule irregularity

· Potential fuel and war-risk related surcharges

Backlogs may take time to normalize once airspace stability returns.

Ocean Freight

Ocean carriers have paused or suspended transits through the Strait of Hormuz due to security concerns. At the same time, instability in the wider region continues to affect Red Sea routing assumptions.

Even if your cargo does not call at Middle East ports directly, network disruptions can cascade across Asia–Europe services and global equipment positioning.

Expected impact:

· Schedule changes and blank sailings

· Rerouting decisions at short notice

· War-risk surcharges from carriers

· Rate volatility in the short term

Ports in the Gulf region may also experience congestion once operations resume fully.

What this means for your supply chain

This is not only a regional issue. Reduced capacity and rerouted networks affect global freight balance.

You should plan for:

· Longer and less predictable transit times

· Short-notice rate adjustments

· Limited air freight availability on certain lanes

· Insurance and surcharge implications on Middle East-related cargo

For time-sensitive or high-value shipments, proactive planning will be critical over the coming weeks.

What Hecksher is doing

Our teams are actively:

· Monitoring airspace and maritime security updates in real time

· Staying in direct contact with airlines and ocean carriers

· Securing capacity on alternative routings where possible

· Reviewing affected bookings and advising customers individually

· Evaluating mode alternatives for urgent shipments

Where risk exposure exists, we are contacting customers directly with shipment-specific guidance.

Recommended actions

We advise customers with exposure to the Middle East – or reliance on global air freight capacity – to:

1. Confirm bookings as early as possible

2. Share updated volume forecasts for the coming 2–4 weeks

3. Build additional lead-time buffers into planning

4. Review cargo insurance coverage for the region

5. Contact Hecksher proactively for urgent or high-value shipments

Early coordination will help protect service continuity.

Outlook

At this stage, the duration of disruption remains uncertain. However, the immediate impact on capacity and pricing is already visible.

As seen in previous episodes of geopolitical escalation, normalization can take weeks even after security conditions improve, due to backlog and network rebalancing.

For shipment-specific guidance, please contact your Hecksher representative.