Published on : 02 Mar 2026
Monday March 2, 2026 — 11am AEDT
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed this morning that an estimated 115,000 Australians are currently in the Middle East — and most of them cannot get home right now.
The world’s three busiest Gulf aviation hubs are either shut or operating under severe restrictions. Dubai International Airport (DXB), the single busiest international airport on earth and the gateway used by more Australians than any other Middle East hub, suspended all operations as Iranian retaliatory strikes following US-Israeli military action hit airport infrastructure across the Gulf. Hamad International in Doha is fully suspended. Abu Dhabi International is operating under suspension until 2am UAE time today.
Three of the airlines Australians use most for travel to the UK, Europe, and South Africa — Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways — are at a complete standstill. Combined, they carry roughly 90,000 passengers per day through their hubs, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. For Australians alone, the disruption affects tens of thousands of bookings across the next week at minimum.
This article contains every verified waiver, refund policy, and alternative option currently available to Australians as of Monday March 2, 2026.
The Australian Government has now issued “Do Not Travel” warnings — its highest level of travel advisory — for the following countries:
Do Not Travel (newly upgraded or confirmed March 1–2):
Do Not Travel (pre-existing, confirmed):
Reconsider Your Need to Travel:
Foreign Minister Wong stated that the Government is awaiting updates on the resumption of commercial flights before committing to evacuation or repatriation flights. Her guidance: the fastest way home for most Australians is to get onto commercial flights when they resume — not to wait for a government-arranged departure.
If you are currently in the Middle East or have family members in the region:
Consular Emergency Centre (24/7):
Crisis Registration Portal (for Australians in Israel and Iran — register now so DFAT can contact you directly):
Smartraveller (live travel advice updates, subscribe for email alerts):
DFAT is urging all Australians currently in affected countries to register their presence via these channels so the Government can provide timely updates and targeted consular assistance as the situation evolves.
The single most important piece of advice for Australians with affected bookings is this: do not cancel your flight yourself before checking what your airline will offer you first.
Dr Natasha Heap from the University of Southern Queensland, writing in The Conversation this morning, explains why: if you cancel a ticket yourself, you may forfeit your consumer rights and your ability to claim refunds under airline policies or consumer law. Airlines are currently offering fee-free refunds and rebooking across all affected itineraries — but only while you hold the ticket. Once you cancel unilaterally, you may be processed under standard cancellation terms rather than the waiver policies listed below.
Wait. Check the waiver for your specific travel dates. Then act.
Status: All Emirates flights to and from Dubai suspended until 3:00pm UAE time (8:00pm AEDT) Monday March 2, 2026. The situation is being monitored and the suspension may be extended.
What this means for Australians: Emirates is the primary carrier for Australians flying to the UK, Europe (especially through Dubai to destinations including London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome, Manchester, Milan, and 65+ other European cities), South Africa, and points across North Africa and the Middle East.
Waiver Policy (verified March 2, 2026):
If your ticket was booked on or before March 1, 2026, and your original travel date is on or before March 5, 2026, you have two options:
Option 1 — Rebook: Rebook onto an alternate Emirates flight to your intended destination. You can rebook for travel up to 20 days from your original travel date (i.e. up to March 25, 2026, for a March 5 departure). No fare difference will be charged within this window.
Option 2 — Full Refund: Request a full refund of your ticket value. Refunds are available for direct bookings via emirates.com using the online refund request form. If you booked through a travel agent, you must contact your agent directly — Emirates cannot process refunds for third-party bookings.
Fifth Freedom flights still operating: Emirates operates a small number of “fifth freedom” routes — flights between two countries that are neither the UAE — that are not affected by the Dubai suspension. The most relevant for Australians is the Sydney–Christchurch service, which continues to operate. If you hold an Emirates ticket purely for travel within Australia, New Zealand, or between Australia and New Zealand, contact Emirates to confirm your service is unaffected.
Qantas codeshare bookings on Emirates: If you booked through Qantas for flights on the Emirates–Qantas alliance network (QF-coded Emirates-operated services), Qantas is offering fee-free refunds, fee-free flight credits, or fee-free date changes within 10 days of your original travel date. This applies to tickets issued on or before March 1, 2026, for travel between March 1 and March 3, 2026, on flights to, from, or via the UAE, Qatar, Israel, Jordan, and Oman booked through Qantas on partner airlines. For bookings outside these dates, contact Qantas directly.
How to contact Emirates:
Status: All Qatar Airways flights to and from Doha are fully suspended following the total closure of Qatari airspace by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (Qatar CAA). Qatar Airways will only resume operations once the Qatar CAA announces it is safe to do so. No resumption timeline has been confirmed.
What this means for Australians: Qatar Airways operates several direct services from Australia to Doha, including flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, with onward connections to London Heathrow, Paris CDG, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, and 100+ European and African destinations. Virgin Australia also operates a codeshare partnership with Qatar Airways on Australian domestic routes that feed into Doha-onward itineraries.
Waiver Policy (verified March 2, 2026):
For flights departing February 28 to March 6, 2026:
Option 1 — Full Refund: Request a full refund of your booking.
Option 2 — Rebook: Change to a future travel date within 14 days from today (i.e. by March 16, 2026). No change fee will be charged.
Virgin Australia codeshare passengers: Virgin Australia is offering free booking changes, a travel credit, or a full refund for guests booked on Doha services up to and including March 6, 2026, who no longer wish to travel. Contact Virgin Australia directly for this option.
Point Hacks Advisory (published today, March 2): Point Hacks is specifically advising Australian travellers against cancelling Qatar Airways bookings prematurely if travel is beyond March 6. A waiver may be extended. Hold your ticket and monitor qatar airways.com and qatarairways.com/en/travel-updates.
For urgent travel needs beyond the waiver window: If you must travel urgently to a destination that Qatar normally serves (e.g. London, South Africa, India), call Qatar Airways and ask specifically to be rerouted via a partner carrier through an Asian hub. Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, and Thai Airways are all still operating Asia–Europe routes and have capacity, though prices have risen sharply.
How to contact Qatar Airways:
Status: All Etihad flights to and from Abu Dhabi (AUH) were suspended until 2:00am UAE time Monday March 2 (approximately 7:00am AEDT this morning). Etihad notes that schedules may change at short notice and warns of ongoing high call volumes.
What this means for Australians: Etihad operates fewer direct Australian services than Emirates or Qatar Airways, but Australians fly Etihad for connections to London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Toronto, and multiple Middle Eastern destinations via Abu Dhabi.
Waiver Policy (verified March 2, 2026):
For tickets issued on or before February 28, 2026, with original travel dates up to March 7, 2026:
Option 1 — Rebook: Free rebooking onto Etihad-operated flights, with travel up to March 14, 2026. No change fee will be charged.
Option 2 — Full Refund: Full refunds available for guests on all Etihad flights until March 3, 2026.
Important: Etihad’s policy currently specifies tickets issued on or before February 28. If you purchased an Etihad ticket on March 1 or later, the waiver may not apply automatically — call Etihad’s customer service to clarify your eligibility.
How to contact Etihad:
The Insurance Council of Australia has issued a clear statement that most standard travel insurance policies exclude losses arising from war or armed conflict.
This is critical for Australians to understand:
What is likely NOT covered:
What MAY be covered (depending on your policy and purchase date):
Policies purchased after the conflict began are unlikely to help: Several insurers have now classified this conflict as a “known event.” Any travel insurance policy purchased after approximately March 1, 2026, is highly unlikely to cover claims directly related to this disruption.
Action to take: Call your travel insurer directly today. Quote the DFAT “Do Not Travel” upgrade date (March 1, 2026) and your policy purchase date. Ask specifically about your cancellation and trip disruption entitlements. Get the response in writing.
If you are an Australian currently stranded in Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, or elsewhere in the Middle East:
Immediate steps:
For Australians with urgent travel needs that cannot wait for Gulf hub resumption, these alternative routings are currently operating:
Australia → UK/Europe (Asian hubs):
Australia → London Heathrow (Qantas direct): Qantas operates non-stop flights from Perth to London Heathrow (QF9/QF10). This service does not transit the Middle East and is completely unaffected. If you are in Perth or can travel to Perth, this is the most direct unaffected option for the UK. Availability is limited and prices will be elevated — check qantas.com and act quickly.
Australia → South Africa: This is the most affected long-haul corridor for Australians, as no non-stop or direct Australia–South Africa service exists independent of Middle East or Asian connections. The best current options are Singapore Airlines via Singapore to Johannesburg (JNB), or Malaysia Airlines via Kuala Lumpur to Johannesburg. Expect higher fares and limited availability.
Booking points flights on alternative carriers: Point Hacks Australia advises that reward seat availability on alternative Asian hub carriers has tightened sharply. If you hold a rewards booking on an affected airline, the specific guidance is: if the travel is truly urgent, consider refunding the rewards booking in full and purchasing a cash fare on an alternative carrier. Do not attempt to rebook a rewards booking without first checking live availability on the alternate routing.
Many major international hotel brands operating in Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi are currently offering flexible rebooking policies in line with the airline waivers. However — and this is important — flexible rebooking is not automatic. Specific actions to take:
This is the part that many Australians are not yet thinking about — but should be.
When Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad do resume operations (the timeline remains unknown and depends entirely on the security situation on the ground), the backlog will be immense. Emirates alone carries tens of thousands of passengers per day and will be restarting with planes, crew, and passengers displaced across dozens of airports globally.
For comparison: when the US–Israel strike on Iran in June 2025 disrupted Gulf aviation, the disruption lasted 12 days and took a further 5–7 days to clear the backlog. The current situation is significantly more serious in terms of airport infrastructure damage.
What this means practically:
If you have a leisure trip booked to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Doha in the next 4–6 weeks, here is current guidance:
If your departure is within the next 7 days: Do not travel. DFAT advice is “Do Not Travel.” Your airline’s waiver covers you — contact them now for a refund or rebooking to a later date.
If your departure is 2–4 weeks away: The situation is genuinely uncertain. Wait and monitor before rebooking or cancelling. The situation in June 2025 resolved within 12 days — this conflict may resolve in a similar timeframe, or it may not. Do not lock yourself into alternative plans yet if your booking is refundable or covered by a waiver.
If your departure is more than 4 weeks away: Your airline has not issued waivers for your dates. Do not cancel. Monitor the situation and wait for guidance from your carrier.
| Airline | Status March 2 | Waiver Dates | Rebook Window | Refund Available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emirates | Suspended to 3pm UAE Mon March 2 | Travel by March 5 | Up to 20 days from original date (to March 25) | Yes — direct bookings only |
| Qatar Airways | Fully suspended (no end date) | Depart Feb 28–Mar 6 | Within 14 days of today (by March 16) | Yes |
| Etihad | Suspended to 2am UAE Mon March 2 | Tickets issued by Feb 28, travel to March 7 | Up to March 14 | Yes — all flights to March 3 |
| Qantas codeshare | Partner flights affected | Tickets by March 1, travel March 1–3 | Within 10 days of original date | Yes — fee-free credits too |
| Virgin Australia codeshare | Doha services affected | Travel to March 6 | Same-day change free | Yes — travel credit option |
Posted By : Vinay
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