More airlines extend Middle East flight suspensions as disruption continues

Disruption overview

Airlines across the Middle East and beyond were still extending flight suspensions into April 2026 as airspace closures and safety warnings continued to disrupt travel. Carriers including Qatar Airways, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines were either canceling services or operating only limited schedules, while some Gulf airlines shifted passengers through alternatives such as King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

For passengers, that means fewer direct options, more reroutings, and a growing risk of knock-on delays across the region.

Because the disruption is linked to an armed-conflict safety risk outside airline control, compensation under EC 261 is usually unlikely, but airlines should still provide rebooking, refunds, and care when your journey is affected.

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Disruption details

Air travel across the Middle East was still heavily disrupted as we go into April 2026 as the conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran continued to trigger airspace closures and safety warnings. Airlines across the Gulf and beyond were extending suspensions or flying only reduced schedules. For passengers, that meant canceled trips, longer reroutings, and fewer straightforward ways to get where they needed to go.

Some routes have come back, but regular operations are still a long way off. Qatar Airways says its normal schedule remains suspended, with only a limited program running through 15 April. Oman Air is operating most routes, but several destinations are still off the schedule, while SalamAir has also kept a range of Gulf and wider regional services grounded.

Some of the biggest updates from regional carriers include:

• Qatar Airways is running only a limited program through 15 April, and tickets dated 28 February to 15 June can be refunded or rebooked free of charge for travel up to 31 October.

• Oman Air is flying most routes, but services to Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad, and Khasab are canceled until at least 15 April, while Amman and Dammam are due to restart on 1 April.

• SalamAir has suspended flights to Kuwait City, Sharjah, and Doha until 15 April, and to Iraq, Lebanon, and Iran until 30 April. It is also selling tickets at UAE-Oman land borders to help stranded travelers.

• Gulf Air stopped operations at Bahrain International Airport after Bahrain closed its airspace and shifted a skeleton operation to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, with limited seats available on selected routes.

• Saudia has partially resumed Abu Dhabi and Dubai services on a reduced schedule.

• Flynas is keeping all flights to the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Syria suspended until 15 April.

• Kuwait Airways continues to work around the shutdown at Kuwait International by bussing passengers to Dammam, where a small number of departures are operating.

The situation in Bahrain and Kuwait shows how quickly normal networks can break down when airspace closes. Operations at Bahrain International Airport were halted, forcing Gulf Air to move a limited schedule to King Fahd International Airport in Dammam. Gulf Air says affected passengers can rebook free of charge until 30 June or choose fee-free refunds, and has released limited seats to Paris through 5 April, London through 11 April, and eight Asian and African cities through 30 April.

International carriers are also keeping restrictions in place well beyond the immediate crisis. British Airways has run eight repatriation flights from Muscat, but its normal services to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai, and Tel Aviv remain grounded until 31 May, with Doha suspended until 30 April. KLM is avoiding Iranian, Iraqi, and Israeli airspace, and has suspended Tel Aviv until 11 April and Dubai, Dammam, and Riyadh until 17 May. Lufthansa Group , including Swiss, has canceled Dubai and Tel Aviv through 31 May and a broader list of destinations, including Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Tehran, until 24 October.

Other airlines are trying to keep some travel moving while giving passengers more flexibility. Air India and Air India Express are maintaining scheduled and ad-hoc flights to Jeddah and Muscat, and have added charters from UAE airports to help repatriate Indian nationals. IndiGo is gradually rebuilding service to eight Gulf airports, although it has warned that slot pressure in Dubai could still create fresh problems. Turkish Airlines is allowing free ticket changes for travel to 13 countries in the region up to 30 April.

Several more long-haul airlines are still taking a cautious approach. Air France has halted Dubai and Riyadh flights through 31 March and Tel Aviv and Beirut through 4 April. Finnair has dropped its new Doha route until 2 July and is steering clear of the wider conflict zone's airspace. Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines have both prolonged Dubai-area suspensions until 31 May. United Airlines is still operating a small number of Dubai and Tel Aviv flights, while offering free changes or refunds until 15 June. American Airlines and Royal Jordanian have also issued broad travel waivers.

Taken together, the long list of suspensions, reduced schedules, and rerouted operations points to thousands of canceled flights and widespread knock-on delays. Even where flights are still running, alternative routes are limited and seats can disappear quickly. If you're traveling through hubs such as Doha, Dubai, Kuwait City, Manama, Muscat, or Tel Aviv, a flight that remains on sale can still be affected by the wider pressure on the region's air network.

Because this disruption is tied to an armed-conflict safety risk outside the airline's control, compensation under EC 261 is usually unlikely on affected EU-regulated flights. But that doesn't mean you're without support. Your airline should still help with rebooking or refunds, and provide care such as food, drinks, accommodation, and transport if you're left waiting.

If you want to understand what applies to your trip, you can use AirHelp's free flight checker to look at your options.

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