Lorraine Williamson
Spain woke up to a fast-moving international crisis and a familiar domestic question: what does this mean for people here? As military action and retaliation escalated across the Middle East on Saturday, the first visible impact for Spain-based travellers is already clear — airspace restrictions and cancelled or rerouted flights.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed the situation in a statement on X, rejecting what he called unilateral military action by the United States and Israel, while also condemning actions by Iran and the Revolutionary Guard. He urged immediate de-escalation and a return to dialogue.
The immediate effect: widespread flight disruption
Aviation is often the quickest route for global tensions to land in Europe. On Saturday, commercial air traffic over Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel and Bahrain was heavily reduced, with airlines cancelling services and re-routing around conflict-affected airspace. Europe’s aviation safety agency, EASA, advised carriers to avoid the region, intensifying the knock-on effect for routes that connect Europe with Gulf hubs.
That matters for Spain because journeys to and from the Middle East — and many long-haul trips that connect via Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi — can be disrupted even if a passenger never sets foot in the conflict zone. Reuters reported that multiple carriers suspended services and re-planned operations, and that cancellations to Israel and the wider region rose sharply as the situation evolved.
What travellers in Spain should do today
If you have a flight that touches the region — including a connection through a Gulf hub — treat it as a “check before you travel” day.
Start with your airline’s live updates, then cross-check official travel advice from Spain’s foreign ministry:
Spain’s official travel advice pages:
Spain’s Embassy in Tehran has also published an “important notice” recommending Spanish nationals in Iran leave using available means.
The next pressure point: fuel and household bills
The second question — and the one that quickly becomes political in Europe — is whether prolonged disruption could push up energy costs.
Oil markets have been jittery for days, even before Saturday’s escalation. A Reuters report citing Barclays said Brent could rise sharply if tensions translate into meaningful supply disruption, while also noting that prices can fall back if the crisis cools without hitting flows.
For Spain, this is less about geopolitics in the abstract and more about how quickly volatility filters into transport costs and petrol prices, and then into everyday inflation. It may not happen. But it is one of the clearest “watch this space” risks if the confrontation drags on.
Why Sánchez’s statement matters at home
Sánchez’s wording was designed to hold a careful line: condemnation of unilateral military action, condemnation of Iranian actions, and an insistence on international law and diplomacy. In Spain, this kind of positioning often frames the next steps — from parliamentary debate to any shift in travel messaging or coordination with EU partners.
The more immediate issue, though, is practical. If you are flying soon, assume disruption is possible and plan accordingly. If you are not, the main thing to track is whether the crisis shortens quickly — or becomes the kind of drawn-out confrontation that starts to affect energy prices across Europe.