In the days before the Iran war ceasefire, as missile and drone attacks forced airspace closures across parts of the Gulf, an unusual pattern began to emerge: dozens of wide-body aircraft were flown out of the region and into a quiet airport in eastern Spain.
In a span of 10 days in March, at least 25 aircraft arrived at Teruel Airport, according to Flightradar24 data, most operated by Qatar Airways and many without a planned departure date.
The surge followed widespread disruption to flight operations across the Gulf after the conflict escalated on February 28, leaving operators with more aircraft than they could use.
Even as flights begin to ramp up operations, the episode offers a rare glimpse into what happens behind the scenes when aviation is suddenly forced to pause.
When demand drops or airspace closes, airlines are often left with an immediate problem: excess capacity.
“If aircraft are expected to be out of use for a short period, airlines may simply leave them in home bases,” John Strickland, a UK-based aviation analyst and director of JLS Consulting, tells The National. “For longer periods, the primary consideration would be to find a dry location with minimal or no humidity to avoid corrosion and damage to electrical systems from damp conditions.”
That distinction – between short-term disruption and longer-term uncertainty – shapes where an aircraft ends up.
In many cases, including in the UAE, planes remain parked at their home hubs, rotated through schedules or kept on standby. But when disruptions stretch into weeks or months, airlines begin looking farther afield.
Flight to Teruel
Teruel Airport, a former military base in Spain’s Aragon region, has become one of the world’s most prominent aircraft storage hubs. It handles no passenger traffic and is designed specifically for maintenance, storage and dismantling.
Its appeal lies in both geography and infrastructure. The dry, salt-free climate significantly reduces corrosion, while the vast open space means aircraft can be parked outdoors for extended periods. The facility can accommodate up to 250 wide-body and 400 narrow-body aircraft, making it one of Europe’s largest “parking lots” for planes.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, when roughly 64 per cent of the world's 26,000 passenger planes were grounded, according to data provider Cirium, hundreds of aircraft were stored at Teruel as global travel came to a standstill. The recent surge, triggered by the Iran war, has echoed that moment – albeit on a smaller scale.
But Teruel is far from unique. Airlines have long relied on a network of storage sites around the world, particularly those set in dry, desert climates. In the US, facilities such as Mojave Air & Space Port in California and Pinal Airpark in Arizona are widely used for parking and maintaining aircraft, thanks to their vast space and low humidity. Elsewhere, Australia’s Alice Springs Airport and France’s Tarbes facility have also become centres for long-term storage and recycling, underscoring how global and well-established this system has become.
Earlier this month, an Emirates A380 landed for the first time at Cornwall Airport Newquay in south-west England for a “short-term” stay, drawing curiosity from residents. The arrival of the world’s largest passenger airliner captivated plane-spotters, Cornwall Live reported.
“A special visitor just touched down at Newquay… the iconic Emirates A380 has landed,” the airport said in a social media post, without specifying the duration of its stay.
On the safe side
While excess capacity accounts for part of the story, it is not the only factor.
“Planes that are already out of operation or parked due to rostering can be stood down for longer, whereas those that are flying will be kept on standby,” says Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at Strategic Aero Research. “Standing down jets will also depend on where they are in the world and which ones need to be stood down first – small or big ones, assuming an airline has a mixed fleet. And then there is an age and cost aspect, as well as an insurance aspect to consider.”
In the case of the current conflict, safety played a crucial role.
“There are logistical differences largely driven by the war,” Ahmad says. “Qatar Airway’s hub at Doha is rather close to Al Udeid air base, so during the current conflict, the risk of a projectile from any side aimed at that air base could well impact Doha Airport.”
By contrast, he notes, this risk “is not the same for Dubai International or even Al Maktoum International, which Emirates and flydubai have used in the past for storage purposes, such as during the pandemic”.
Strickland echoes this point. “In the case of the current conflict, security is likely to be a factor, ensuring that unused aircraft are kept away from areas at risk of military action.”
In other words, grounded planes are not simply parked – they are positioned.
What happens when planes stop flying
Even when aircraft are not in use, they are far from idle.
“Parked for a few months, jets are routinely powered up, their engines run, oils and fluids changed, and systems and component checks done to ensure nothing seizes up,” says Ahmad.
For longer periods, the process becomes more intensive.
“Aircraft can be demobilised to different levels depending on duration,” says Strickland. “Deep storage or long hibernation means sealing of engines and undercarriage bays for protection from dust, dirt and even invasive animals and birds. Windows will also be protected with heat-reflecting material to avoid damage to systems from intense sunlight.”
Ahmad adds: “For jets that are parked for longer or retired, things such as engine removal, fluid drainage, window covering to prevent sunlight fading the interiors, as well as covering up service access panels and other facilities, all mean that such jets are effectively wrapped up for a deep sleep.”
All of this, he notes, requires “thousands of man-hours” to ensure aircraft can return to service when needed.
As a fragile ceasefire holds, flight activity across the Gulf – one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs – has begun to recover. While operations dropped sharply on March 1, the day after the war began, schedules have begun to stabilise, data from Flightradar24 shows.
Emirates went from about 24 flights at the start of March to 390 on April 19; Etihad Airways recovered from four flights to 223; and Qatar Airways has also rebounded, increasing from just three flights to 345 over the same period.
On Monday, Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announced the gradual resumption of operations for foreign airlines through Hamad International Airport, marking the first time the country’s airspace reopened to international carriers since the conflict began.
The rebound also highlights how quickly airlines can adapt to sudden shocks by adjusting routes and schedules.
A system built for uncertainty
If there is one lesson from the recent disruption, it is that aviation rarely stands still.
“The biggest illustration we had of airlines storing aircraft was the pandemic,” says Strickland.
But unlike Covid-19, where demand collapsed globally, geopolitical crises create more uneven and unpredictable shifts.
“We’re in uncharted territory due to the war,” says Ahmad. “No one has a clue how it will end, and while airline contingency planning has become better and more acute given the experiences through Covid-19, different political events will require different responses in terms of airplane usage and storage. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach here.”
Even as flights resume, the movement of aircraft in recent weeks is a reminder of how aviation adapts, often in ways passengers never see. And sometimes, that means sending planes thousands of kilometres away, to lie in wait.
