Between the price of jet fuel and the ongoing security situation set off by the war in Iran, international airlines keep having to push back the restart of their flights into Dubai, Doha and other cities across the Middle East.
Airlines such as Lufthansa and KLM both confirmed that they will not restart their Middle Eastern service until October 2026 at the earliest while Delta Air Lines has also extended the suspension of tis route between Atlanta and Tel Aviv until November 2026.
American Airlines, meanwhile, will also delay the restart of two high-profile routes between Philadelphia and Doha and JFK and Tel Aviv until 2027.
British Airways delays restart of seven Middle East flights until August 2026
The latest major carrier to announce further flight cancelations and restart extensions is British Airways. The national airline’s flights between London Heathrow and Dubai International is being cut from three times a day to daily while its flights to Doha, Riyah and Tel Aviv are also being scaled back from twice a day to once a day.
The current goal is to bring back these routes to the new frequencies by August 1 and add a second daily flight to Dubai by October. As with all major airlines, flights to these cities were canceled in March 2026 and keep getting pushed back amid new waves of Iranian attacks on infrastructure across the region.
Related: Another airline cancels flights until September, refunds available
“We understand that the continuing situation in the Middle East remains worrying for many of our customers, particularly those planning travel in the months ahead,” the airline currently states on its website. “Due to ongoing uncertainty and airspace restrictions, some of our flights in the region have been canceled or temporarily suspended, including services to and from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh.”
The national carrier has also permanently discontinued a route between London Heathrow and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia back in April. Along with the security risks of flying to the Middle East at the current moment, demand for many destinations is expected to remain down as many travelers fear ongoing instability.
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“We are directly in touch with affected customers”: British Airways
British Airways placed anyone with booked tickets to these destinations under an extended travel waiver where passengers whose fare classes would normally not allow for changes can keep rebooking for a future date or request a full refund to the original method of payment.
The waiver applies to tickets bought between February 28 and October 31, 2026 in case travelers want to book a flight to the region but are afraid of future cancelations.
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“We’re keeping the situation under constant review and are directly in touch with affected customers to offer them a range of options,” British Airways confirmed the latest cancelations in an emailed statement. “Since the disruption began, we have helped thousands of customers return home, operated relief flights, and added additional capacity on key long‑haul routes. We will continue to assess and introduce further flying where possible.”
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