** Travel-related stocks drop in premarket trading as escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran disrupts global flight routes and shuts key Middle Eastern hubs, casting gloom on the sector

** Cruise operators Norwegian Cruise Line NCLH.N, Carnival Corp CCL.N and Royal Caribbean RCL.N down ~7%, Viking Holdings VIK.N down ~5%

** U.S. airline shares also drop as Mideast escalation triggers flight chaos

** Among other travel-related shares, Airbnb ABNB.O down 2.5%, Expedia EXPE.O down 3%, while Booking Holdings BKNG.O and Tripadvisor TRIP.O down 3% and 2.5%, respectively, on low volumes

(Reporting by Neil J Kanatt in Bengaluru)

((Neil.JKanatt@thomsonreuters.com;))