British Airways has pushed back the resumption of its Dubai flights until October 25, extending a suspension that was expected to end on July 1.
The postponement follows large-scale disruption to the aviation sector caused by the Iran war. “Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, we have made further changes to our flying schedule to provide greater clarity for our customers,” a representative for the airline told The National.
“We’re keeping the situation under constant review and are directly in touch with affected customers to offer them a range of options. We will continue to assess and introduce further flying where possible.”
Under the revised schedule, flights to Dubai, Tel Aviv, Bahrain and Amman will remain suspended.
The carrier is also reducing frequencies on other Middle East routes. Flights to Doha and Riyadh will operate once daily instead of twice daily from August 1 and August 8 respectively.
The latest extension highlights the continued impact of regional tensions on international aviation, despite a pause in active hostilities between Iran and the US.
While flight operations in the UAE and the wider Gulf are gradually returning to normal, following large-scale airspace closures after the outbreak of the war on February 28, several international airlines have upheld route suspensions as they assess operational and security risks.
Global air passenger demand fell 3.4 per cent in April as a sharp decline in traffic linked to the Middle East conflict outweighed growth in other regions, according to a report released by the International Air Transport Association.
The industry body said demand for Middle East airlines plunged 46.6 per cent during the month, making it the worst-performing region globally and dragging overall passenger traffic into negative territory.
“The 46.6 per cent fall in demand for carriers in the Middle East due to war in the region was so acute that it dragged overall demand down, to minus 3.4 per cent,” said Willie Walsh, Iata’s director general.