Airline stocks traded in negative territory on Monday as U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran disrupted major Middle Eastern airports, including Dubai, grounding flights and triggering one of the sharpest aviation shocks in recent years.
Shares of American Airlines (AAL), United Airlines (UAL), and Delta Air Lines (DAL) are all down more than 5%; Alaska Air Group (ALK) was down 6% at press time. Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY) and Joby Aviation (JOBY) fell about 4%. Thousands offlights have been affectedacross theMiddle East, according to data on flight-tracking platform FlightAware.
Carriers around the world also face higher oil prices, with Brent (CO1:COM) crude up 8% to $78.77 a barrel, and analysts predicting they could climb as high as $100.
Airline stocks have been under pressure since mid‑February as escalating Middle East tensions pushed oil prices higher, raising concerns over fuel costs and squeezing profit margins. Airspace over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar remained virtually empty, maps by Flightradar24 showed on Sunday.
British Airways has cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday.
