TEHRAN- The escalating US-Israeli military campaign against Iran is sending shockwaves far beyond the battlefields of the West Asia. The latest warning comes from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which has confirmed that airline passengers in Europe and Asia should brace for significantly higher ticket prices.

The reason is straightforward yet alarming: jet fuel. IATA Director General Willie Walsh cautioned on Wednesday that regions heavily reliant on Persian Gulf energy supplies — namely Europe and Asia — face imminent fuel shortages. "The resilience of airlines is being tested," Walsh stated, noting that surging fuel costs are already being passed on to travelers.

The crisis has been exacerbated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime chokepoint through which approximately one-fifth of global oil passes. 

Following US and Israeli attacks on Iranian soil, supply routes have been severed. 

The International Energy Agency has echoed these concerns, warning that European nations could run out of jet fuel within weeks.

For airlines already struggling with thin profit margins, this is a nightmare scenario. 

Longer flights from alternative routes, combined with skyrocketing fuel prices, will inevitably force carriers to raise fares or reduce services. 

For consumers, this means summer travel budgets will stretch less, and cargo costs could drive up prices of goods from electronics to fresh produce.

Governments must act urgently — whether by releasing strategic fuel reserves or securing alternative supply chains. 

The sky is not the limit for airfare prices; war is. And until peace returns to the Persian Gulf, passengers worldwide will pay the price at the check-in counter.

Governments must act urgently — whether by releasing strategic fuel reserves, rationing non-essential flights, or fast-tracking alternative supply corridors like the UAE's east-west pipeline. 

The aviation industry has survived wars, pandemics, and oil shocks before. But this triple crisis — military conflict, chokepoint closure, and regional instability — tests its limits like never before. 

Without coordinated international pressure to reopen Hormuz and halt the attacks, passengers worldwide will continue paying the price at the check-in counter, and the global economy’s connectivity will remain grounded.