British Airways extends cancellations of Middle East flights

British Airways has extended its temporary reduction in flights to destinations across the Middle East and Gulf.

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Last week, the airline announced that all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv were cancelled “until later this month”, while services to and from Abu Dhabi have been cancelled “until later this year”.

In a new update issued on Monday, BA confirmed that flights to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai and Tel Aviv were now cancelled up to and including 31 May, and flights to Doha were cancelled until 30 April.

Since the start of the regional conflict, airspace closures have disrupted global aviation and left thousands of passengers stranded. BA operated eight relief flights from Muscat in Oman and has also added additional flights to and from Singapore and Bangkok.

Due to the “airspace instability”, BA is “keeping the situation under constant review” and is “directly in touch with affected customers to offer them a range of options”.

UAE airlines take ‘big step backward’

Impacted by the drone attack near Dubai International Airport, UAE airlines “took a big step backward on Monday”, said Flightradar24. The flight tracking website’s Gulf airline recovery index showed a dip for UAE carriers Emirates, AirArabia, FlyDubai and Etihad following the temporary suspension of flights in the UAE.

Qatar Airways to operate revised limited schedule

Qatar Airways continued to make “measured gains” as it reconfigures its route network, said Flightradar24.

Following the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority’s approval of operating corridors, Qatar Airways is running a revised limited schedule to and from Hamad International Airport in Doha from 18-28 March.

“These schedules have been enhanced to give more flexibility to passengers wishing to travel,” the airline said.

Up to 8,000 passengers were reported to have been stranded in Qatar with the government covering the costs of hotel accommodation and extending their visas.

Flights departing from Doha (DOH)

• 17 March: Algiers (ALG), Bangkok (BKK), Cairo (CAI), Colombo (CMB), Delhi (DEL), Dhaka (DAC), Kochi (COK), Islamabad (ISB), Istanbul (IST), Jeddah (JED), Kathmandu (KTM), London Heathrow (LHR), Manila (MNL), Mumbai (BOM), Paris (CDG), Riyadh (RUH), Tunis (TUN), Nairobi (NBO).

Flights departing to Doha (DOH)

• 17 March: Bangkok (BKK), Dhaka (DAC), Kochi (COK), Jakarta (CGK), Mumbai (BOM), Cairo (CAI), Colombo (CMB), London Heathrow (LHR), Paris (CDG), Delhi (DEL), Istanbul (IST), Kathmandu (KTM), Lagos (LOS).
• 18 March: Algiers (ALG), Bangkok (BKK), Cairo (CAI), Colombo (CMB), Dallas (DFW), Delhi (DEL), Dhaka (DAC), Islamabad (ISB), Istanbul (IST), Kathmandu (KTM), Kochi (COK), Manila (MNL), Mumbai (BOM), Nairobi (NBO), Tunis (TUN), Perth (PER).

Airlines issue updates to Middle East schedules

Gulf Air has expanded temporary operations from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, due to the closure of Bahraini airspace. Bahrain’s national carrier has introduced a limited programme of special flights from Dammam to major international destinations including Frankfurt, Nairobi, London, Mumbai and Bangkok, for travel up to and including 28 March.

Air India has announced additional flights to destinations in Europe and North America. Between 19-28 March, it will operate 36 extra flights on the following routes: Delhi-London; Mumbai-London; Delhi-Frankfurt; Delhi-Zurich; and Delhi-Toronto. “Together, these flights will add 10,012 seats on the five routes, further boosting capacity and providing more choice to travellers when travel options remain limited,” the airline said.

Oman Air continues to operate as normal, but some routes remain temporarily affected with flights to and from Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad, and Khasab are cancelled until 31 March.

Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo has suspended planned flights to several Middle East destinations until 28 March. The airline said services to Doha, Kuwait City, Bahrain, Dammam, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah will remain suspended. Due to the “evolving situation” in the Middle East, IndiGo’s flight operations in Dubai have also been “further restricted”.

Philippine Airlines has temporarily suspended several Middle East routes until 28 March. The airline has halted flights between Manila and Riyadh, Dubai and Doha. An additional Doha-Manila flight scheduled for 29 March has also been cancelled.

Etihad Airways has restarted a “limited flight schedule” operating from its hub at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. The airline has listed more than 70 destinations that it planned to fly to between 6 and 19 March.

Air Arabia has started operating a limited number of flights to and from the UAE, subject to operational and regulatory approvals. From 6-22 March, limited flights will be operating between Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah to more than 40 destinations.

Virgin Atlantic‘s seasonal Dubai service is now suspended for the remainder of the winter season. The airline’s flights to Riyadh have also now paused for the next two weeks and will “continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis in line with the latest safety guidance”.

Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has suspended flights to Israel until 29 March and to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman and Jeddah from mainland European destinations until the middle of September.

Turkish Airlines has cancelled flights to and from Bahrain, Dammam and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria and the UAE.

Air France is “monitoring the evolving situation in the region in real-time”, but due to the closure of certain airspaces it has been forced to extend the suspension of its flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until 20 March inclusive, and to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut until 21 March inclusive.

Dutch airline KLM is currently not flying through the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Israel, nor over several countries in the Gulf region. Flights to, from, or via destinations in the region are cancelled or adjusted. KLM’s Tel Aviv flights are suspended for the remainder of its winter season operations, while flights to and from Dammam, Riyadh and Dubai are suspended up to and including Saturday 28 March.

Lufthansa Group airlines – which includes Lufthansa, SWISS International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, and Eurowings – has suspended flights to and from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman and Erbil until 28 March; to and from Dammam until 15 March; to and from Tel Aviv until 2 April; to and from Beirut until 28 March; and to and from Tehran until 30 April.

Air Canada has said that all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv are currently suspended and restarting on 23 March.

Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia’s flag carrier, temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha “until further notice”, the company said in a statement.