By Zufazlin Baharuddin & Fatin Umairah Abdul Hamid KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 (Bernama) -- The US-Iran conflict has significantly disrupted airport operations and is poised to have a material near-term impact on global aviation, with aggregate industry costs potentially exceeding US$1 billion (US$1 = RM3.89) should the situation intensify, an economist said.