British Airways Cancels Hundreds of Middle East Flights Amid Regional Conflict
British Airways has announced the cancellation of hundreds of flights to multiple destinations across the Middle East as the ongoing war in Iran continues to create severe aviation disruptions. The UK's flag carrier confirmed this afternoon that it is significantly reducing its flight schedule in the region, with particular impact on services to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which have been suspended until "later this year."
Major Service Reductions Across Multiple Cities
The airline has grounded all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv until later this month, with the Abu Dhabi suspension extending much further into the future. Although British Airways has not provided exact numbers, the scale of cancellations is substantial given the carrier's previous daily services to these destinations. A company statement explained: "Due to the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability, we've had to temporarily reduce our flying schedule in the region."
The statement continued: "We're keeping the situation under constant review and are in touch with our customers to offer them a range of options." For passengers with existing bookings, limited seats remain on repatriation flights from Muscat, Oman to London Heathrow on March 11 and 12, after which these services will pause due to reduced demand.
Widespread Aviation Disruption Across the Region
The aviation disruption caused by the US and Israeli military actions against Iran has been enormous in scale. Since February 28, 2026, of the 38,193 flights scheduled to depart from or arrive in the Middle East, a staggering 21,915 have been cancelled. While most routes are gradually returning to near-normal operations, significant challenges remain. Of the 4,783 flights scheduled for today, 1,107 were either cancelled or are expected to be cancelled.
Passengers planning to travel to or from the Middle East in the coming days are strongly advised to check their airline's official website for specific instructions and consult the Foreign Office website for the latest travel advice and security updates.
Global Airlines Adjust Middle East Operations
The disruption has affected numerous international carriers, each implementing different strategies to manage the volatile situation:
- Aegean Airlines: Greece's largest carrier has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until March 20; Beirut, Erbil and Baghdad until March 25; Dubai and Abu Dhabi until March 19; and Riyadh until March 14.
- Air France–KLM: Air France cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut through March 13, and to Dubai and Riyadh until March 12. KLM suspended flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam until March 10, and to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the winter season.
- Cathay Pacific: The Hong Kong-based airline cancelled all flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until March 31.
- Delta Air Lines: The American carrier cancelled flights from New York to Tel Aviv until March 22 and from Tel Aviv to New York until March 23.
- Emirates: The Dubai-based airline is operating a reduced flight schedule but expects to return to full operations within days, depending on airspace availability and operational requirements.
- Etihad Airways: The Abu Dhabi carrier has resumed a limited commercial flight schedule between its hub and several key destinations.
- Lufthansa Group: Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines suspended Tel Aviv flights through April 2 and Beirut flights through March 28. Flights to Tehran are suspended until April 30, and to Amman, Erbil, Dammam, Dubai and Abu Dhabi until March 15.
- Norwegian Air: The low-cost carrier now plans to start flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut on June 15, instead of the previously scheduled April 1 and April 4.
- Qatar Airways: Operating a limited schedule to and from Doha, with some flights resuming from March 9 following temporary authorisation from Qatar's civil aviation authority.
- Saudia Airlines: Suspended flights to Amman, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Bahrain until March 10, and to Moscow and Peshawar until March 15. Limited operations to Dubai have resumed.
- Wizz Air: Suspended flights to Israel until March 29, and flights from mainland Europe to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman and Jeddah until mid-September.
The aviation industry continues to monitor the rapidly evolving situation in the Middle East, with airlines adjusting their schedules based on security assessments and airspace availability. The conflict's impact on global travel patterns remains significant, with thousands of passengers affected by the widespread cancellations and schedule changes.
