International flights cancelled, diverted after fresh US attacks on Iran

Fresh attacks have caused chaos for travellers with airlines cancelling and diverting flights. See how Aussies will be affected.

Global flight routes have been thrown into chaos following the United States’ decision to bomb key Iranian nuclear sites, with airlines cancelling services and diverting flights to avoid the region.

Flights out of the UK and Singapore were cancelled on Sunday leaving travellers in the lurch, with more than 1000 British Airways passengers now stranded in Dubai.

But what do the fresh attacks mean for Aussie flights into the region?

ARE AUSTRALIAN FLIGHTS INTO DUBAI AND DOHA CANCELLED?

The short answer is: no.

Despite Qatar Airways flagging potential scheduling changes to “ensure connectivity and minimise disruptions”, all of the carrier’s flights out of Australian cities on Sunday operated to schedule.

The airline which is continuing to monitor the situation in the Middle East said, “the safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority”.

Qatar Airways flagged potential scheduling changes as tensions in the Middle East heightened over the weekend. Picture: iStock

Similarly Emirates, which operates 77 weekly flights out of Australian cities into Dubai, ran its Sunday and Monday morning services into the UAE despite the fresh attacks in the region.

Australia’s national carrier Qantas, said there would be no material changes to their services between Australia and Europe but said they would continue to monitor the situation closely.

The airline does not fly direct routes into the Middle East, however, some passengers may fly through Dubai on their way to Europe as part of their codeshare partnership with Emirates.

Airspaces over Iran, Israel, Iraq and Jordan remain closed for commercial travel, with airlines rerouting their flights across Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

WHY ARE FLIGHTS BEING REROUTED OR CANCELLED ENTIRELY?

US President Donald Trump’s decision to strike key Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday has raised tensions in the region, increasing the risk of retaliation against locally-positioned US assets.

Safe Airspace, an online conflict zone and risk database said Iran had “shown willingness to use long-range, advanced anti-aircraft-capable weapons during heightened tensions and in proximity to heavily flown international air routes”.

Days before the strikes, American Airlines, United Airlines and Finnair had cancelled flights into Doha and Dubai, with British Airways and Singapore following suit after the fresh attacks.

The UK national carrier suspended its two scheduled flights into Dubai and Doha on Sunday, after it confirmed no services would fly into The Gulf states for the rest of the day.

The airspace diversion over Iran. Source: Flightradar 24

Singapore Airlines also cancelled two flights into Dubai “following a security assessment of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East”.

“As the situation remains fluid, other SIA flights between Singapore and Dubai may be affected,” the airline said.

IS IT SAFE TO FLY INTO DUBAI OR DOHA RIGHT NOW?

The latest update from the Department of Foreign Affair and Trade’s Smart Traveller website highlights how the deepening conflict in the Middle East could spill over to other parts of the world.

“Conflict in the Middle East could impact safety and security elsewhere. There is a risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation. Protests and civil unrest may happen globally,” their Monday update read.

“The risk of terrorist attacks can increase, particularly around: areas where foreign tourists gather, embassies; other foreign interests.”

The advice warns that flights around the world could be impacted, even if they’re not connected to the Middle East, with a warning that travellers should contact airlines to confirm their flights.

However Aviation Projects Managing Director and Principal Consultant, Keith Tonkin said he would feel safe flying into both Dubai and Doha.

“These major airlines have very good operational intelligence units and they’re provided information by others to support their decision making,” he said.

British Airways made the decision to cancel flights into The Gulf states on Sunday. Picture: Adrian Dennis / AFP

“They would make those decisions (to fly) based on the safety and security of the airline and its people and the travelling public.”

Mr Tonkin said it was hard to know why British Airways had made the decision to cancel its services into the two Arab flight hubs.

“The airspace isn’t available to fly through over Iran, so the airlines will have planned around that knowing that there will be missiles flying through the air,” he said.

“Most certainly they (British Airways) felt it was unsafe to fly … either based on intelligence or other information it had.”

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BOOKED YOUR TRAVEL

The Australian Travel Industry Association is advising holiday-makers to avoid cancelling their flights in light of escalating tensions in the middle east.

“Airspace closures over Iran, Israel and Russia have significantly narrowed flight corridors into Europe, with delays and route diversions common particularly for passengers transiting through Middle Eastern hubs such as Doha and Dubai” the ATIA said.

However the ATIA’s chief executive Dean Long said travellers shouldn’t panic or cancel unnecessarily.

“Australians flying to Europe via the Middle East should be prepared for some delays, but it’s important to know that global airlines have systems in place to manage these disruptions,” he said.

“We’ve seen this before, and the travel ecosystem is built to respond.”

WHICH AIRLINES ARE AFFECTED?

Emirates: Flights in and out of Jordan, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq have been suspended until at least June 30.

Qatar Airways: Flights to and from Iraq, Iran and Syria have been temporarily cancelled.

American Airlines: Flights into Doha have been suspended.

United Airlines: Travel into Tel Aviv is cancelled until at least August 1, while flights into Dubai have been suspended.

Etihad Airways: Flights between Abu Dhabi and Amman have been cancelled until June 20, and flights into Tel Aviv were cancelled until June 30.

Originally published as International flights cancelled, diverted after fresh US attacks on Iran