London/New York, April 5 -- For years, airlines in the US and Europe have gawked at the rise of West Asian carriers funneling ever more passengers through their gleaming hubs in Dubai and Doha at competitive prices with the latest jets. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways offered a viable alternative in the Gulf, leveraging a perfect position between three continents - Europe, Africa and Asia. That dynamic changed almost overnight when the Iran war broke out, shuttering airspaces, grounding planes and leaving regional airlines in disarray. While the loss of capacity from these carriers has reduced long-haul flying overall, Western airlines are moving in to fill the gap. Executives have sensed an opportunity to take advantage and rega...