Air travel across the Middle East faced an unprecedented wave of disruptions between February 28 and March 5, with several major airports recording cancellation rates above 90%, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

In 1970, only about 310 million people flew each year. Today, that figure has exploded into the billions and by 2053, it may more than double again.

The global aviation landscape is vast and some nations exceedingly facilitate domestic and international travel with their large numbers of airports.