The latest update on Middle East flights as US-Iran MoU is signed

The US-Israel attack on Iran at the end of February caused chaos for travellers visiting or passing through the Middle East and Gulf regions as airspaces closed.

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Gulf-based carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways restarted flights in early to mid-March, but many European airlines are yet to follow suit, even after the 8 April ceasefire.

With a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the US and Iran this week, you might expect the number of airlines flying in and out of the region to increase imminently.

That’s not likely to happen, Mateusz Klimek, an airline network planning expert, told Euronews Travel.

“Many airlines that were flying to the Gulf region have used those planes to add extra capacity to other destinations in Asia as people choose to fly nonstop,” Klimek said.

“Once you add that capacity, you don’t want to change it back because of the disruptions to passengers and the costs.”

That means that if an airline has already committed to a date for flights to restart, it is likely to stick to it, even if the final US-Iran deal is signed well before that time.

There is some good news for those flying to or through the region, though – you’re likely to find some great deals on flights from Gulf carriers as they attempt to entice customers back, Klimek notes.

When are European carriers returning to the Middle East?

Air France said in an update on 15 June that it would be extending its suspension of flights to and from Beirut and Dubai until 24 June.

It should be noted that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)’s Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) for the Middle East and Persian Gulf is valid until 24 June, unless reviewed earlier.

That bulletin states that air operators should “exercise caution” when flying through Bahrain, Kuwait, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, UAE and Saudi Arabia, and “ensure that an up-to-date risk assessment and a high level of contingency planning are in place”.

airBaltic has said it is “following European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) recommendations and insurer requirements”, with flights between Riga and Tel Aviv to resume from 1 July.

The Latvian flag carrier will also resume direct flights from Riga to Dubai from 25 October, and between Vilnius and Dubai from 28 October.

Many carriers have set their resumption dates for late October. This is because the International Air Transport Association (IATA) northern winter season starts on the final Sunday that month.

For KLM, flights will not operate to and from Dubai, Riyadh or Dammam until and including 9 August.

While Austrian Airlines has restarted flights from Vienna to Tel Aviv, the Lufthansa Group has suspended all other Middle East flights until October 2026.

LOT Polish Airlines resumed flights to Tel Aviv on 31 May, but flights to Beirut will not resume until the start of the summer 2027 schedule.

Finnair has said it will resume its flights to Doha from 2 October.

British Airways will resume flights to Doha from 1 August, and to Riyadh from 8 August. Dubai, Tel Aviv, Bahrain and Amman flights will resume from 25 October. It will not be resuming flights to Jeddah.

Norwegian, which previously operated routes to Beirut and Tel Aviv, has suspended flights indefinitely.

SunExpress has suspended Dubai flights until 30 June, and Bahrain, Beirut and Erbil flights until 14 July.

Turkish Airlines resumed flights to Damascus, Beirut and Amman on 1 May, to Doha on 8 June, and Dubai on 9 June. The airline will resume services to Abu Dhabi on 1 July.