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Travel across the Middle East remains significantly disrupted due to the war in the region.
Airlines such as Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa are cancelling flights to the Middle East right up to the summer.
Passengers to destinations further afield are also affected, as airports such as Dubai and Doha are important hubs for long-haul flights.
Holidaymakers with planned trips to Eastern Mediterranean destinations, such as Cyprus and Turkey, also need to keep an eye on travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
If you’re due to travel to or via affected areas in the coming weeks, you should monitor your airline’s website to determine whether your travel plans will be affected – and your options, if so.
You should also make sure you have travel insurance from a reputable provider.
If your flight is cancelled: If you’re departing from a UK or EU airport, and/or travelling on a British or European airline, you’re legally entitled to choose between being rerouted to your destination or refunded, and offered assistance if you need it. You can ask to be rerouted on any airline that has seats available – this entitlement isn't limited to the airline you booked with.
If your flight is delayed: If you’re delayed in getting to your destination by two hours or more, you’re entitled to assistance, provided you’re flying from the UK or EU, or with a UK or EU airline.
When your right to this assistance depends on the distance of your flight:
You are unlikely to be able to claim compensation. This is because the cause is an extraordinary circumstance, out of the airline’s control.
Read more about your air passenger rights under extraordinary circumstances.
While the major hubs are all open, they’re operating with severely restricted service. Drone strikes at Dubai have closed the airport four times since the start of the war, with the latest attack on 16 March.
If you had a trip planned through affected areas with a UK or EU airline, and/or out of the UK and EU, you are entitled to the same rights as outlined above — a rebooking or refund, meals, and accommodation if required.
Flights to Asia or Australasia are being diverted through safer airspace, meaning they can take much longer. Congestion means that delays are also more likely.
Don't cancel your flight or holiday. You would lose the rights above. Wait for your airline to contact you, or contact it to find out your options for rescheduling planned trips.
British Airways has cancelled all flights into Dubai, Amman, Bahrain, Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi until at least 31 May. Its flights to Doha are cancelled until at least the end of April. Other European airlines are also cancelling flights.
Middle East-based airlines such as Emirates and Etihad are operating with reduced schedules. meaning you flight may operate but beware that most travel insurance will not cover you during transit in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Qatar.
The FCDO is advising against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It’s also advising against travel to neighbouring Bahrain.
This means that if you have a package holiday booked to any of those countries, you can get a full refund from the provider. If you do travel to them, it will almost certainly invalidate your travel insurance.
The FCDO is not advising against trips to Cyprus, so holidays can still go ahead and you’re unlikely to get a refund.
It advises against travel to the parts of Turkey that are within 10km of the Syrian border, but this doesn't affect holidays to popular resorts on the Mediterranean coast such as Antalya, Bodrum and Dalaman, and these can still go ahead.
Flights between the UK and Turkey are largely operating as usual.
It's important that you don't cancel your flights or holiday in Cyprus or Turkey, as you're unlikely to get a refund. Your provider may also be able to offer advice and potentially reschedule your holiday if you have something booked, but don’t want to travel.
As this is an evolving situation, do keep on top of FCDO advice to see if there is a risk of becoming stuck in Cyprus or Turkey, should the situation worsen. It's important to make sure that your travel insurance covers you for cancellations and disruption caused by war, as most don't.
No – don't cancel any flights or holidays to or via affected areas, even if it looks like you’ll be unable to travel due to cancellations or airport closures.
This is because your rights to a full refund, rebooking and assistance are usually surrendered if you cancel. It may also complicate matters if you attempt to make a claim with your insurance at a later date.
Instead, contact your airline or travel company to find out your options. Wait for it to process cancellations and don’t press any ‘refund’ or ‘cancel’ buttons without understanding exactly what you’re agreeing to.
If the war is still ongoing later in the year, airlines such as British Airways are likely to cancel future flights.
Check whether your hotel provider offers free cancellations, and pick up the phone to speak with it directly, even if a third-party website claims your stay is no longer refundable. We’ve seen cases where travellers were able to get their stay refunded or moved at the host’s discretion, when proof of circumstances was provided.
As above, if your hotel booking is part of a package, you have more protection. The package holiday provider should refund you if an FCDO warning means you can no longer travel.
If your hotel booking is not part of a package, you may still be able to get a refund. Check with the hotel itself or with your booking website. Booking.com has told its accommodation partners: 'Due to escalating conflict in the Middle East, we’re declaring "Outbound Force Majeure" for travellers who can’t depart or transit through the region. Please offer free cancellation for check-ins from 28 February 2026 until further notice, in line with our General Delivery Terms.'
Prioritise your safety: If you’re already in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain or Kuwait, follow local government advice and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). At times, this is to shelter in place.
The FCDO is advising British nationals to register their presence via the FCDO website in order to receive important updates and up-to-date travel advice. This is essential, as the UK government is now organising some evacuation flights from Oman.
Your rights: Passengers flying on UK or European airlines, or on any airline departing the UK or EU, are legally entitled to choose between rebooking or a refund. Airlines have a duty of care to passengers, providing or reimbursing passengers for food, hotel accommodation and transport costs, although in many cases these are currently being provided and paid for by the UAE government.
If you do end up having to pay for hotels and meal costs because you are stranded, you will be able to claim these from your airline. There's no time limit on this, as they have a duty of care until they can get you home. However, if you were staying in an expensive five-star hotel, the airline can insist you stay in a more reasonably priced hotel, such as a three or four-star hotel.
Remember: if you're trying to get home, never accept a refund, as this ends the airline's duty of care.
If you're travelling with an airline that isn't British or European – for example, Etihad or Emirates – and aren't flying out of Europe, you may encounter more complexities, as the EU and UK’s air passenger rights don't extend to your situation. Contact your airline or travel agent to discuss your options.
If you're in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE, the local government has promised to underwrite hotel and meal costs for tourists stranded by the conflict. You can arrange this through your hotel or through UAE-based airlines.
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Dean Sobers, travel insurance expert, says…
If the FCDO has advised against travelling after you’ve booked and insured your trip, you may be able to make a cancellation claim – although this will depend on your specific policy. When we checked last year, only about a third of policies included war cover. Currently, the FCDO is advising against all but essential travel to the UAE. This isn't the case for Cyprus.
If you are covered, you may need to prove you’ve exhausted other options for recouping your costs – for example, getting in touch with your travel agent, airline, holiday provider and/or accommodation provider to arrange rebooking or a refund. Fortunately, most package-holiday tour operators and airlines will allow you to do this, although not all.
Don't cancel your trip before checking with your travel provider and insurer to discuss your options and cover entitlement, as cancelling prematurely could affect your right to claim under your insurance policy.
Even where the FCDO hasn’t advised against travel to your destination when you’re due to travel, you may still not be covered for claims made while travelling to the region if there’s a high likelihood of it being affected by the conflict. Most policies include ‘known event’ clauses, which effectively rule out cover for events that were foreseeable when you set off. If you’re unsure whether your trip will be covered or what options you have, it’s best to contact the insurer directly to check.
Regardless, for any booked trips, it’s important to have travel insurance to cover you for medical emergencies, repatriation, baggage loss and other unexpected disruptions unrelated to the conflict.
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