SF Express International, FedEx, and others issue announcements: Suspended!

Due to the tense situation in the Middle East, several countries in the region have announced the closure of their airspace, leading to airport shutdowns and significant rerouting of international flights. Courier and logistics services are also experiencing a standstill. SF International, FedEx, UPS, and DHL have all announced the suspension/disruption of their international express services or extended delivery times in multiple Middle Eastern countries.

SF International’s official announcement stated that the company’s international flights to and from the Middle East and local logistics resources are affected. To ensure the safety of all parties’ personal and property security, SF will suspend international express services and international e-commerce services for imports and exports in multiple Middle Eastern countries effective immediately until further notice. The company is actively monitoring the status of in-transit packages and resource allocation, and will prioritize the transfer/delivery of packages based on the latest safety and resource recovery conditions.

FedEx announced that its normal pickup and delivery services in the Middle East are disrupted. Flights to and from Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia have been completely suspended, and the delivery times for import and export shipments to or from these countries may be extended.

UPS has not announced a suspension of its pickup and delivery services in its announcement but stated that the company is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East and has implemented pre-established emergency measures to ensure safe and efficient operations.

DHL stated that airspace in some areas of the Middle East is closed, and maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has been suspended. Currently, these restrictions are affecting passenger and cargo traffic in the region. The company is closely monitoring the situation and has activated emergency plans to minimize the impact on customers. It is still unclear whether these regional disruptions will have broader implications for global air and maritime cargo transport.

Additionally, a reporter from Southern Metropolis Daily learned from informed sources that several logistics companies operating in the Middle East are adjusting their services according to local government requirements. For example, the UAE government has issued home guidance recommending avoiding outdoor activities, leading some local logistics companies to suspend services in the UAE region. Meanwhile, as of March 2, normal operations and deliveries are still ongoing in Saudi Arabia. The informed sources indicated that considering the situation’s impact, services in some areas of other Gulf countries are also suspended.

An anonymous cross-border logistics practitioner operating in the Middle East revealed to Southern Metropolis Daily: “From the overall industry perspective, the current impact is mainly concentrated in the international trunk transport segment. Due to restrictions on multiple countries’ airspace and blockages in key maritime routes, major airlines and shipowners are generally adopting measures such as flight diversions or route changes. This has led to tight capacity and extended overall transportation cycles for the entire logistics industry in cross-border trunk transport heading to the Middle East.” “Since cross-border air freight packages cannot currently come in, our delivery efforts are directly focused on local business. While strictly ensuring the safety of frontline couriers, our local network is doing its utmost to deliver the existing packages that have already arrived at the Middle East warehouse network, as well as local same-city items.”

Southern Metropolis Daily (nddaily) report

Southern Metropolis Daily video reporter Fu Xiaoling