For decades, three gleaming Gulf hubs have quietly governed how the world moves. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha became the great connectors of global travel — efficient, affordable, indispensable. But with Russian airspace already closed to Western carriers and fresh uncertainty rippling out from US strikes on Iran, that narrow corridor linking Europe and Asia is looking suddenly, disconcertingly fragile.
Georgina Godwin speaks with travel writer and author Ash Bhardwaj — whose book 'Why We Travel' won Travel Book of the Year in 2024 — about what happens when the geography of flight is redrawn overnight. From the knock-on chaos affecting airline scheduling and aircrew logistics, to the quieter shift in traveller sentiment that may prove just as consequential, Bhardwaj maps out a world in flux. Could Istanbul emerge as the new pivot point? Will Changi step up? And as long-haul routes grow riskier and more complicated, might Europe and North Africa become the new horizon for global travellers?
The conversation ranges from the mechanics of airspace closures to the reputational stakes for Dubai — a city that sold itself, above all else, on safety — and what it means for a globally connected world when the systems we took for granted prove far more delicate than we imagined.
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