British Airways (BA) has temporarily halted most of its flights to major Middle Eastern destinations until at least June as air travel is disrupted by the ongoing Iranian attacks on the Gulf country. The airline has canceled flights to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai and Tel Aviv until May 31, with services to Doha suspended until April 30. A limited schedule of Doha flights is scheduled to resume in May, while flights to Abu Dhabi will remain canceled until October.
This decision has been taken at a time when tension has increased in the region following a series of military attacks between Israel, America and Iran. Regional airspace has been closed due to Iranian retaliation against US allies in the Gulf, including disruption at Dubai airport due to a drone attack on a fuel storage tank. These developments have put significant pressure on the airline industry, which is already facing its most challenging period since the Covid pandemic.
Despite the reopening of airspace over many areas, the situation remains volatile, with Iran continuing to target infrastructure in neighboring countries. BA has confirmed that flights to Riyadh and Jeddah are operating as scheduled, and passengers booked on these routes can change their flights free of charge until May 31.
The UK Foreign Office has issued travel advice warning British citizens against non-essential travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates due to ongoing instability in the region.
In its statement, British Airways committed to regularly reviewing the situation and keeping customers informed. The airline has already arranged several relief flights for affected passengers and continues to operate additional flights to Singapore and Bangkok to aid repatriation efforts.
“We have been in direct contact with affected customers to offer various options and have helped thousands of passengers return home since the situation began,” the airline said.