European carriers pull back
The biggest disruption is coming from European carriers, as airlines are still adjusting capacity across the Middle East due to airspace risk remaining a concern.
Air France has suspended flights to Dubai and Beirut until June 17, while KLM has suspended flights to Dubai until August 2. KLM flights to Riyadh and Dammam are suspended until July 12.
Lufthansa Group carriers are also maintaining a wide range of suspensions in the Middle East. Lufthansa, SWISS and ITA Airways will continue to suspend flights to Dubai until September 13, while Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines have suspended flights to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Riyadh, Erbil, Muscat and Tehran until October 24.
Eurowings, the Lufthansa Group’s low-cost carrier, has suspended flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until October 24.
Wizz Air has suspended flights from mainland Europe to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until mid-September, while flights to Medina have been cancelled indefinitely.
Some routes are returning
The disruption is not uniform across the market, with some airlines gradually restoring flights while others remain cautious.
Air Astana is set to resume regular flights from Almaty to Dubai from June 20, with Astana-Dubai services beginning on July 10. The airline has adjusted flight paths to operate via Pakistan because of the closure of Iranian airspace, saying the change is aimed at maintaining safety and reliability.
The Almaty-Dubai route is expected to increase from limited weekly services to daily flights by July 6, while Astana-Dubai will start with three weekly flights from July 10 before expanding to daily services by August 3.
Passengers holding rebooked tickets for departures up to July 31 can change bookings free of charge to earlier flights from June 20 for Almaty departures and from July 10 for Astana departures.
Aegean said it is continuing to monitor developments in line with instructions from aviation authorities and will keep adjusting its schedule on affected routes. Passengers whose flights are cancelled can request a refund or credit voucher, or change their tickets through the airline’s call centre without a reissue charge or fare difference.
What passengers should do
Passengers booked on affected Dubai flights should check their airline’s website or app before leaving for the airport, because schedules are changing by carrier and by route.
Those travelling during the summer should also check whether their airline is offering a refund, credit voucher, free date change or rerouting through another hub. Airlines including Aegean, Cathay Pacific and Air Astana have set out options for affected customers, although policies differ depending on ticket type, travel date and point of purchase.
Cathay Pacific said customers booked to travel during the affected period may rebook, reroute or refund tickets under its waiver policy. “We are monitoring the situation closely and will remain agile in our response. The safety of our customers and people guides every decision we make,” the airline said in a statement.
Virgin Atlantic has also brought forward the end of its seasonal London-Dubai operation, saying, “The recent escalation in the Middle East has brought forward the end of our operation for this season.”
– With inputs from Reuters.
Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.
Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy.
An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.
When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.