Airlines servicing the UK affected by Middle East conflict

More than 130,000 Brits have registered their presence in the Middle East, trapped overseas as the war between Iran and the US and Israel continues to escalate.

Airspace over nine countries in the Middle East remains closed (or partially closed), affecting some of the busiest airports in the world, including Dubai International Airport and Hamad International Airport (Doha, Qatar).

More than 20 major airlines have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights worldwide as a result, impacting Brits travelling abroad.

Airspace closures in place in the Middle East

The Airspace closures currently in place across the Middle East (at the time of writing), according to Flightradar24 , are:

Total closure

• Iran
• Iraq
• Qatar
• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Syria
• Israel

Partial closure

• Saudi Arabia (area bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf)
• United Arab Emirates

Airlines affected by the Middle East conflict

Direct

The main airlines offering direct flights between the UK and the Middle East, affected by the ongoing conflict, are:

• British Airways
• Virgin Atlantic
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• Qatar Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• Pegasus Airlines
• Wizz Air / Wizz Air UK
• Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines)
• Air France
• KLM
• Norwegian
• ITA Airways

Connections

The airlines affected that are more likely to impact Brits who have connecting flights travelling from the Middle East include:

• Air India
• IndiGo
• Air Arabia
• LOT Polish Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Air Astana
• Aegean Airlines
• Azerbaijan Airlines

Other regional airlines carrying Brits around the Middle East have also been impacted.

When will flights resume in the Middle East?

All flights with the following major airlines remain suspended (at the time of writing):

• Qatar Airways (update on March 6)
• Wizz Air (update on March 7)
• Pegasus Airlines
• Lufthansa (update on March 6 and 8)
• KLM (update on March 5)
• Air France (update March 5)

Other airlines have resumed “some” flights from the Middle East:

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic said it has begun operating some flights in the Middle East “following our latest assessments and in line with guidance from international aviation authorities”.

Its website adds: “Any decision to resume services is made only after thorough risk reviews and careful consideration of the latest intelligence available to us.

“While we intend to operate some flights as planned, the situation remains dynamic.

“We continue to monitor developments closely and will make further changes at short notice if required to ensure the ongoing safety and security of our customers and crew.

“We have also rerouted some of our flights. As a result, some of our services are operating on adjusted routings and may experience slightly longer flight times.”

British Airways

British Airways (BA) is currently unable to operate flights from several destinations, including Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv.

However, airspace over Oman is now open, and BA said it is working with the relevant authorities to schedule a flight from Muscat to London, departing at 02:30 local time on March 5.

Anyone currently in Oman wishing to travel on this flight is urged to contact BA +44 203 467 3854.

Emirates

All scheduled Emirates flights to and from Dubai remain suspended until 11.59pm on March 4 (UAE time), due to airspace closures across the region.

However, Emirates said it continues to operate a “limited number” of passenger repatriation and freighter flights (on March 3 and 4).

Emirates said: “We are accommodating customers with earlier bookings as a priority on these limited flights.

“Please do not go to the airport unless you have been notified directly by Emirates or hold a confirmed booking for these flights.”

It added: “Emirates continues to monitor the situation, and we will develop our operational schedule accordingly.

Etihad

All Etihad Airways’ scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until Thursday, March 5.

However, the airline may run some repositioning, cargo, and repatriation flights in coordination with UAE authorities, and “subject to strict operational and safety approvals”.

The Etihad website adds: “Guests should not travel to the airport unless they have been contacted directly by Etihad and advised to do so.”

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Which airlines are offering refunds?

Most of the major airlines are offering refunds for passengers affected by cancelled flights or for those who are set to travel on an upcoming date:

• British Airways – customers travelling up to and including March 8 can request a refund
• Emirates – up to and including March 10
• Etihad Airways – up to and including March 10
• Qatar Airways – up to and including March 10
• Pegasus Airlines – up to and including March 12
• Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines) – up to and including March 15
• KLM – up to and including March 9

Passengers with these affected airlines are also able to re-book flights for a later date.

More information can be found on the relevant airlines website.