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Shipments of garments for Zara owner \u200bInditex and other major clothing retailers are stranded at airports in Bangladesh and India, according to three manufacturers, \u200cas the conflict in the Middle East forces airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways to cancel flights.<\/strong><\/p>\n South Asia is a clothes manufacturing powerhouse and fast fashion brands around the world rely on factories in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan for a constant stream of new T-shirts, dresses and jeans.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of my apparel consignments \u200bare currently stuck at Dhaka airport,\u201d said Shovon Islam, managing director of manufacturer Sparrow Group, whose European clients include \u200bInditex, M&S, Next, and Primark.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were supposed to be flown to the UK via Dubai, but with \u2060operations at Dubai airport suspended, we are now in a very difficult position. We\u2019re trying to figure out alternative routes, but \u200bnone of them are simple or cost-effective,\u201d Islam added.<\/p>\n Most airspace in the Middle East is still closed since the conflict began last Saturday, \u200bforcing the world\u2019s busiest airport, Dubai, to shut down for several days with airlines including Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad cancelling many flights.<\/p>\n 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 \u200bin Sydney.<\/p>\n More than half of Bangladesh\u2019s air cargo travels via the Gulf, he said, and 41% of India\u2019s, with Emirates and \u200bQatar Airways the most important carriers.<\/p>\n Inditex has 150 suppliers in Bangladesh, 122 in India and 69 in Pakistan, according to its 2023 annual report. Its \u200cmost \u2060recent annual report does not disclose country-specific supplier numbers. The company did not reply to Reuters\u2019 questions about the disruption.<\/p>\n FREIGHT COSTS DOUBLE AS CAPACITY SHRINKS<\/strong><\/p>\n As air capacity has reduced sharply, prices have shot up.<\/p>\n 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 \u200bdoubled because of the cancellations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u200bwhole freight capacity is being \u2060blocked now on the airlines that are flying, so prices are increasing,\u201d Nathani said. \u201cOne consignment in Pakistan is stuck in the factory, and the other consignment from Mumbai is being accepted for Swiss \u200bAir on Monday \u2013 let\u2019s hope they\u2019re also flying and that it all goes.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the disruption \u200bto shipments from \u2060South Asia, Primark, H&M and M&S said the majority of their shipments is made by sea. Next did not immediately reply to Reuters\u2019 questions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe suspension of cargo flights due to airspace closures in the Middle East is already disrupting air shipments,\u201d said Mohammad Hatem, president of \u2060the Bangladesh \u200bKnitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, adding that if the Strait of Hormuz, a key \u200bshipping channel separating Iran from Oman and the UAE, remains closed it will drive up the cost of sea transport, too.<\/p>\n \u201cAll in all, we are worried \u2013 we can \u200bsee another major crisis ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n