"THEY ARE TAKING A LONGER ROUTE OVER AFRICA WHICH MEANS LONGER FLIGHT HOURS, MORE COST FOR THE AIRLINE." The closure of Middle Eastern airspace forces airlines to reroute flights, significantly increasing fuel consumption and operational costs. Combined with spiking global oil prices, airline profit margins will be severely compressed. SHORT JETS as geopolitical disruptions and higher energy costs create a toxic environment for airline profitability. A swift end to the conflict reopens airspace and normalizes fuel prices, leading to a rapid recovery in airline margins.