Middle East War Strands Hundreds of MWC Attendees in Barcelona

Airspace closures following the conflict in Iran cause massive flight cancellations, complicating the return of tech congress participants.

Generic image of an airport flight board showing several cancellations in red.
IA

Generic image of an airport flight board showing several cancellations in red.

Hundreds of Mobile World Congress (MWC) attendees are stranded in Barcelona this March following the closure of Middle East airspace due to the outbreak of war in Iran.

The military offensive that began last Saturday has had immediate repercussions in the Catalan capital. Many tech fair attendees found their return flights cancelled, particularly those with international layovers. This situation has created significant uncertainty at El Prat Airport and across city hotels.

"That saved me from missing the event; about ten people from the booths around us didn't manage to arrive."

Mundeep Singh Puri · CEO of i-Phygital
The impact of the war affected both arrivals and departures. Airlines are currently navigating the crisis by seeking alternative routes, but high flight occupancy and surging prices are making it difficult for those stuck in Barcelona to find immediate solutions.