Three of Europe's Biggest Airlines Have Extended Their Middle East Suspensions, and the Restart Dates Are Further Away Than Many Passengers Hoped

Three of Europe's largest airline groups have simultaneously extended their Middle East flight suspensions, with British Airways pushing its restart further into summer, the Lufthansa Group holding off a return to Dubai until mid-September, and Air France emerging as the most optimistic of the three with planned resumptions beginning as early as late May. The updates, confirmed this week, reflect an aviation landscape still deeply unsettled by the ongoing conflict that has engulfed the region since late February 2026.

The updates came just a day after a kamikaze drone launched from the west of the United Arab Emirates targeted the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant close to Abu Dhabi. The drone struck an electricity substation outside the perimeter of the power plant, cutting off the mains supply to one of the facilities and forcing the plant to work on an emergency supply until the substation could be fixed. In the last 24 hours, the UAE also confirmed that it had downed six other drones launched at the country, as a fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States and Israel hangs in the balance. On Monday, President Trump said that he had delayed further military strikes on Iran, which had been set to recommence today, at the request of several Gulf nations. 

What Triggered the Suspensions

The disruptions trace back to US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February 2026, which triggered the rapid closure of key airspace corridors across the Middle East and Gulf. Now entering its fourth week, the war in Iran continues to send shockwaves through global aviation, with widespread disruption to flight schedules and airspace across the Middle East and Gulf. European airline groups, including Lufthansa and Air France, have extended suspensions on key routes, citing ongoing security risks and restricted airspace. Airlines are being forced to reroute or cancel services entirely, while capacity remains well below normal levels across the region. As instability persists, the aviation sector faces rising fuel costs, longer flight times and continued uncertainty heading into the busy spring and summer travel seasons. 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency played a central early role in framing the response. EASA extended its Conflict Zone Information Bulletin on April 9, 2026, advising airlines to avoid operating flights through most of the Middle East and Gulf region due to heightened security risks, identifying three critical threats: misidentification of civilian aircraft, potential targeting of aviation infrastructure, and threats from missile systems. 

British Airways

British Airways has postponed the resumption of flights to Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv until 1 August amid continued instability linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran. "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 spokesperson for the airline said in a statement. British Airways also said it plans to reduce the number of flights to the region once operations resume, with routes including Riyadh and Doha limited to one flight per day. 

The airline's official travel notice confirms the breadth of the shutdown. Due to ongoing uncertainty and airspace restrictions, some of our flights in the region have been cancelled or temporarily suspended, including services to and from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh. To give customers greater peace of mind, we're extending the flexibility available to those with bookings to these destinations. Passengers with bookings to any of the affected destinations up to and including October 31, 2026, can request a full refund, even if their flight is still currently shown as scheduled. 

For passengers planning trips involving the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Israel in the coming months, the most immediate reality is that fewer nonstop options will be available from Europe and, by extension, from North America and other long-haul markets that feed into European hubs. 

Lufthansa Group

The Lufthansa Group, covering Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Edelweiss, and Eurowings, has taken the most conservative stance among European carriers. Lufthansa and SWISS plan to restart flights to Tel Aviv on June 1, while Brussels Airlines has suspended Tel Aviv flights until October 24. Lufthansa and SWISS aim to restart flights to Dubai from September 14. All other flights to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Riyadh, Erbil, Muscat, and Tehran are suspended through October 25.

LoyaltyLobby's reporting adds further detail on Tel Aviv specifically, noting that Austrian Airlines will resume service to Tel Aviv starting June 1, 2026, while Lufthansa, SWISS, and ITA Airways are currently planning to resume flights as early as July 1, 2026, and Eurowings is expected to return to Tel Aviv by mid-July 2026.

The group's cuts have forced a fundamental rerouting of its Asia services. The suspensions force Europe-to-Asia flights onto longer detours via Egypt or Central Asia, adding one to two hours to flight times and pushing fuel costs into fares. The extended timeline signals a permanent network shift. Lufthansa is redirecting widebody capacity away from Middle East tags and toward direct Europe-China routes, a move that reshapes competitive dynamics for travellers connecting through Frankfurt and Munich. 

Air France

Air France says that it currently plans to resume flights to Riyadh on May 26, while flights to Beirut, Dubai, and Tel Aviv are set to restart on June 3. This is by far the most ambitious flight restart plan of any of the major European airlines.

However, the airline has been careful to avoid committing firmly to those dates. "The resumption of operations will remain subject to an assessment of the security situation on the ground, which is rapidly evolving," the airline said. Air France's suspension of Dubai flights has already been extended multiple times since the conflict began, with each new deadline superseded by a revised one.

Air France's summer 2026 schedule redirects capacity to Asia and North America, suggesting the airline is not expecting a quick return. The carrier has been deploying larger aircraft and adding extra frequencies to Bangkok, Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai, Tokyo and Osaka to absorb demand displaced by Middle East cancellations. 

Regional Carriers Recovering Faster

While the European majors hold back, Middle Eastern airlines have been moving to rebuild their networks. While European airlines continue to steer clear of the Middle East, local carriers are still working to restore their schedules to pre-war levels. Emirates has now restored around 87% of its pre-war flights, according to data compiled by FlightRadar24, while Qatar Airways is operating around 65% of the number of its pre-war flights, a meaningful but incomplete recovery that leaves considerable capacity gaps for passengers trying to connect through Dubai or Doha.

What Passengers Should Know

All four major carriers are offering full refunds as an option. Passengers are not forced to rebook; refunds are guaranteed under EU261 regulations. Rerouted flights typically add four to eight hours to journey time, depending on the alternative airspace corridor.

With conflict zone advisories and airspace restrictions still in place across parts of the region as of mid-May 2026, experts caution that further timetable changes remain likely. Travellers heading toward or around the Middle East in the coming months should therefore view their plans as provisional and remain prepared to adapt as airlines and aviation authorities respond to evolving conditions. 

Middle East Suspension and Planned Resumption

All resumption dates are subject to change depending on the evolving security situation. Passengers are advised to check directly with their airline before travel.