Airlines operating flights to the Middle East and North Africa are set to face losses this year due to political unrest and increasing violence.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) safety, operations and infrastructure senior vice-president Gunther Matschnigg said that Gulf-based carriers and other European airlines operating in the region would be effected if the political crisis continued.

Matschnigg added, “Countries like Egypt and Tunisia are popular among tourists and people in these countries also depend on tourism. Unrest in the Middle East will affect the traffic growth.”

European tour operators and airlines such as Emirates, British Airways and Lufthansa have reduced their flight frequency to Cairo and Tripoli, dealing a blow to the tourism industry, according to Reuters.

He also pointed out that increasing oil prices may call for the aviation sector to think about fuel surcharges, which could lead to rising ticket costs.