Blockade due to the conflict in the Middle East
Cojocariu Eugen, 14.03.2026, 14:47
Vital sectors of the Romanian economy, such as constructions, manufacturing and the hospitality industry, are directly hit by the massive air disruption and blockade generated by the escalation of the Gulf conflict, representatives of the Employers’ Federation of Labour Importers (PIFM) say. The organization is sounding the alarm over an imminent crisis that leaves hundreds of foreign workers stranded or stuck in transit points and endangers the projects of the Romanian companies that depend on these employees.
There are no centralized official figures, but we can make realistic estimates. Over 60% of the approximately 160,000 non-EU workers with active work permits in Romania in 2025 come from South Asia. Usually, several thousand new workers arrive in Romania every month. The workers who have already received visas and have booked flights through hubs in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi, which are now closed, account for a significant part of this flow, the PIFM vice-president Corina Constantin says.
The situation is even more serious as the main routes are almost non-existent, and the hardest hit are workers from Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, precisely the countries Romania imports the largest part of the labour force from, especially for such sectors as production, constructions and the hospitality industry. Practically all of these workers’ flights transit the hubs in the Gulf, that have been severely disrupted or completely closed since the conflict broke out, Corina Constantin explains. In addition to the lack of flights, the increase in logistics costs is a huge burden for Romanian companies. Actually, it is a combination of three overlapping problems that amplify each other, the employers’ organization underlines. First, there is a lack of direct flights, and secondly, the detour routes crowd alternative hubs. Perhaps the most painful practical impact is the huge price hikes, because the price of jet fuel has skyrocketed, and for an employer who bears the cost of the ticket this increase translates directly into additional costs, worth several hundred Euros per worker, the Employers’ Association adds.
The consequences are already being felt at production level because vacancies remain unfilled, thus putting pressure on the current activity, the PIFM vice-president, says. She warns against the risk of postponing some projects, especially in constructions and production, where employers should observe strict contractual terms, in the relation with the beneficiaries.
The long-stay work visa has a limited validity, strictly correlated with the employment permit. A worker who has a visa in their passport, but cannot fly due to the conflict, uses up this validity window without reaching Romania. If the blockage lasts long enough, the visa may expire. It is neither the employer’s nor the worker’s fault, but the administrative consequences are just as real, Corina Constantin explains. Thus, if the visa expires, the procedure must be restarted from scratch, which means that a worker whose file expires today might arrive in Romania only at start of 2027.
It is a dramatic scenario for both employers and workers. We hope that the General Inspectorate for Immigration and the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will find mechanisms for exceptional extension or revalidation for those cases of people blocked due to the conflict, because there is a precedent set during the COVID pandemic, when administrative extensions were given, the aforementioned source emphasizes.
