Global: Garment suppliers predict 'another major crisis' as disruption to Middle East air shipments causes fashion 'pile up'
"Fast fashion garments pile up in South Asia as Middle East conflict grounds planes", 8 March 2026
Shipments of garments for...Inditex and other major clothing retailers are stranded at airports in Bangladesh and India, according to three manufacturers, as the conflict in the Middle East forces airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways to cancel flights.
“Some of my apparel consignments are currently stuck at Dhaka airport,” said Shovon Islam, managing director of manufacturer Sparrow Group, whose European clients include Inditex, M&S, Next, and Primark.
“They were supposed to be flown to the UK via Dubai, but with operations at Dubai airport suspended, we are now in a very difficult position. We're trying to figure out alternative routes, but none of them are simple or cost-effective,” Islam added...
Much of South Asia relies on Gulf airlines to send cargo, usually in commercial flights with some cargo-only aircraft, said Frederic Horst, managing director at Trade and Transport Group in Sydney...
Inditex...did not reply to Reuters' questions about the disruption.
Alexander Nathani, managing partner at Mumbai-based Kira Leder, which produces leather jackets for Inditex and for Austrian retailers Cigno Nero, Fussl and Wiedner, said freight charges to fly his products from Mumbai to Austria have doubled because of the cancellations.
“The whole freight capacity is being blocked now on the airlines that are flying, so prices are increasing,” Nathani said.
Asked about the disruption to shipments from South Asia, Primark, H&M and M&S said the majority of their shipments is made by sea. Next did not immediately reply to Reuters' questions.
“The suspension of cargo flights due to airspace closures in the Middle East is already disrupting air shipments,” said Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, adding that if the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping channel separating Iran from Oman and the UAE, remains closed it will drive up the cost of sea transport, too.
“All in all, we are worried - we can see another major crisis ahead.”