Published on : 03 Mar 2026
🔴 LIVE — Tuesday March 3, 2026 | Updated as confirmed information becomes available
Around 300,000 British nationals are currently believed to be in the Middle East — either as tourists, expats, or transit passengers — following the largest regional airspace closure since the Covid-19 pandemic. For millions more sitting at home in the UK with bookings to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Tel Aviv, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait or anywhere connecting through those hubs, the question is the same: what are my rights, and what should I do right now?
The answer is not simple. Every airline has published a different waiver. Every destination has a different FCDO status. And the rules that apply to your booking depend on whether you booked direct, through a travel agent, on a points redemption, or as part of a package holiday — and critically, whether your airline officially cancelled your flight or merely suspended routes.
This guide cuts through the confusion. Below you will find the exact, verified waiver terms for every major UK and European carrier as of March 3, 2026 — British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Wizz Air, Air France — plus your legal rights under UK aviation law, what the FCDO “Do Not Travel” designation actually means for your refund, and the single most important thing you must not do before claiming your money back.
The biggest error being made by tens of thousands of British travellers today is cancelling their own ticket before the airline does.
If you cancel your own ticket, even for a flight to a destination that is currently suspended and covered by an FCDO “Do Not Travel” advisory, many airlines will treat it as a voluntary cancellation. This means: reduced refund, credit instead of cash, or application of normal fare rules.
The correct process, confirmed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), is this:
The UK CAA confirmed this clearly: if an airline cancels your flight, you are legally entitled to a choice between a full refund of the unused portion of your ticket, or an alternative flight to your destination at the earliest opportunity, or rebooking at a later date that suits you — and this applies even when cancellations are caused by extraordinary circumstances such as war or airspace closures.
One critical caveat: although airlines are required to provide refunds or rerouting, passengers are unlikely to be entitled to fixed sum compensation under UK passenger rights legislation for delays or cancellations directly caused by the Middle East situation — the conflict is classified as extraordinary circumstances, which extinguishes the right to the standard £220–£520 per-person compensation. You are entitled to a refund or rerouting. You are not automatically entitled to extra cash compensation on top.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel guidance for 21 countries since the crisis began on February 28. Here is the current status as of March 3, 2026, and what each designation means for your booking.
FCDO “Do Not Travel” — Against All Travel: Iran, Israel, Palestine
FCDO “Do Not Travel” — Against All But Essential Travel: UAE (including Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Qatar (including Doha), Kuwait, Bahrain
Additional precautionary advisories: Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan (certain regions)
What these advisories mean in practice:
For FCDO “Do Not Travel” destinations, UK package holiday bookings have extra protections — if the FCDO advises against travel to your destination, your provider will usually cancel the trip and offer a full refund within 14 days, or the option to transfer to another destination or later date.
For flight-only bookings, the FCDO advisory strengthens your position when arguing for a refund, but is not by itself a guarantee — you must still go through your airline’s official channels. The FCDO advisory is, however, important for travel insurance claims: most policies include coverage for cancellation when an official government body advises against travel to your destination.
British nationals requiring consular support should call the FCDO’s 24/7 phone line on +44 207 008 5000. Those currently in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar or UAE should use the “Register your presence” service to receive direct updates from the FCDO.
Routes covered: London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi (AUH), Amman (AMM), Bahrain (BAH), Doha (DOH), Dubai (DXB), Tel Aviv (TLV), and Larnaca (LCA — recently added)
Who qualifies: Passengers with original tickets issued on or before the suspension date. New bookings made after the crisis began are not eligible for the waiver.
Free rebook: If you are due to fly between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv up to and including 15 March, you can change your flight date free of charge to travel on or before 29 March.
Full refund: Available for passengers due to travel up to and including March 8. If your outbound flight falls within this window, British Airways should refund the full ticket — including return legs — if the outbound cannot be operated.
Tel Aviv passengers — special option: For flights to Tel Aviv scheduled up to March 13, you can change your origin or destination from Tel Aviv to either Athens or Larnaca. Any onward travel from Athens or Larnaca would be at your own cost.
Which airlines can British Airways rebook you onto? Airlines which BA can rebook you on include Qatar, Etihad, Air France, Lufthansa, Swiss, Iberia, Scandinavian, Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, and Brussels Airlines. Note that with Qatar and Etihad themselves currently suspended, options through these carriers are limited until resumption.
Avios bookings: Redemption bookings on affected routes are now explicitly included under the waiver — confirmed in the updated BA trade guidance as of March 1.
Common problem to watch out for: Several passengers have reported that British Airways’s online Manage My Booking system is not automatically processing the full refund — it is either offering partial refund or applying a £70 cancellation fee. If this happens, do not accept. Contact BA directly via live chat, citing the official waiver terms, and reference the FCDO advisory for your destination. If that fails, raise a complaint with the UK CAA.
BA contact for disruption: ba.com/managemybooking | BA Customer Services 0344 493 0787 (UK) | Available 24 hours
Routes covered: Amsterdam (AMS) to Dubai (DXB), Dammam (DMM), Riyadh (RUH) — suspended through March 5. Tel Aviv (TLV) — suspended for the full remainder of the winter season from March 1.
KLM is currently not flying through the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Israel, nor over several countries in the Gulf region. Flights to, from, or via destinations in the region are cancelled or adjusted.
Free rebook (Dubai, Dammam, Riyadh): If you have booked a flight to, from or via Dubai, Riyadh or Dammam from Saturday 28 February to Friday 6 March 2026, and your ticket was originally issued on or before Sunday 1 March 2026, your new departure date should be before or on Sunday 15 March 2026.
Full refund: Available if your original flight was cancelled. KLM will process refunds within 7 days of request for cancelled flights.
Travel voucher option: If you prefer to cancel your flight and request a travel voucher: the voucher will be valid for one year from the date of issue and can be used for all KLM, Air France, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic flights offered on the Air France KLM website. Note: vouchers are not refundable themselves — only choose this option if you are certain you will fly again within 12 months.
Tel Aviv passengers: KLM has suspended the remainder of its winter season operations to and from Tel Aviv, effective March 1, 2026. Passengers are entitled to a full refund or alternative rerouting.
Expense reimbursement: If you have unforeseen expenses due to cancellation, such as extra meals, hotel costs, or phone calls, you could request reimbursement. Keep all receipts and submit via KLM’s disruption claim form.
KLM contact: klm.com/travel-alerts | Customer Services 020 7660 0293 (UK) | Manage My Trip at klm.com
Routes covered: Frankfurt (FRA) to Tel Aviv (TLV), Beirut (BEY), Amman (AMM), Erbil (EBL), Dammam (DMM), Tehran (IKA) — suspended through March 7 or 8. Dubai (DXB) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) — suspended through March 4.
Lufthansa has suspended flights to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Amman, and Erbil until March 8, 2026. Flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also paused through March 4.
Free rebook: Lufthansa is offering fee-free rebooking to all passengers on suspended routes. Passengers may rebook to travel within the waiver window, or request an open-ended rebooking credit for future travel.
Full refund: Available for all passengers whose flights have been officially cancelled. Submit via Lufthansa’s My Bookings portal or contact customer services.
Lufthansa Group note: The Lufthansa waiver policy also extends to SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings for their respective suspended Middle East routes. Lufthansa Group suspended flights to Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Tehran and said it would reroute other services, with its suspension window set through March 7.
Lufthansa contact: lufthansa.com/uk/en/flight-information | Customer Services 0371 945 9747 (UK)
Routes covered: London Heathrow (LHR) to Dubai (DXB) and Riyadh (RUH) — cancelled for Sunday and Monday. Continuing to reassess routing for subsequent days.
Virgin Atlantic cancelled its London Heathrow to Dubai route and is avoiding Iraqi airspace.
Rerouting: Virgin Atlantic has rerouted some services where alternative airspace paths allow. For flights that cannot be operated, passengers are offered free rebooking or full refunds.
Free rebook / refund: Passengers whose flights have been cancelled can request a full refund, a credit for future travel, or rebooking onto the next available service when routes resume. Virgin Atlantic has confirmed these options align with UK passenger rights legislation.
Package holiday passengers: If the FCDO advises against travel to your destination, your provider will usually cancel the trip and offer a full refund within 14 days, or the option to transfer to another destination or later date. Virgin Holidays bookings to affected Middle East destinations should be eligible for full refund under Package Travel Regulations.
Virgin Atlantic contact: virginatlantic.com | Customer Services 0344 874 7747 (UK)
Routes covered: All Wizz Air flights to and from Israel, Dubai (DXB), Abu Dhabi (AUH), and Amman (AMM) — suspended through March 7, 2026.
Wizz Air has suspended flights to Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until March 7. Customers are usually offered a 120% credit in Wizz Air credit or a 100% cash refund.
Critical Wizz Air-specific warning: The “120% Wizz Credit” offer looks generous but is only valuable if you plan to fly Wizz Air again within 18 months. If you want your money back, always request the 100% cash refund — you are legally entitled to it for a cancelled flight, regardless of what the Wizz Air app presents as the “default” option.
How to claim: Log into the Wizz Air app or website → select your booking → choose “Refund” not “Wizz Credit.” If the cash refund option is not displayed, contact Wizz Air customer services directly and state that your flight has been cancelled and you are requesting a full cash refund under UK passenger rights legislation.
Processing time warning: Wizz Air is known for slow refund processing during high-volume disruptions. If your refund is not received within 7 days (the legal deadline for cancelled flights), file a complaint with the UK CAA.
Wizz Air contact: wizzair.com | Customer Services via chat at wizzair.com/help
Routes covered: Paris (CDG) to Tel Aviv (TLV) and Beirut (BEY) — cancelled. Other Middle East routes suspended where airspace closures prevent operation.
Air France cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut scheduled for Saturday, February 28.
Free rebook: Air France is offering the same waiver terms as KLM (the two airlines are part of the Air France-KLM group). Rebooking onto Air France, KLM, Delta, or Virgin Atlantic flights is permitted under the travel voucher scheme, with a new travel date before March 23, 2026.
Full refund: Available for passengers whose flights were cancelled. Submit via airfrance.co.uk.
Air France contact: airfrance.co.uk | Customer Services 0207 660 0337 (UK)
Routes covered: Oman Air has cancelled all flights to and from Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen and Baghdad for Tuesday March 3.
Passengers on Oman Air services today should contact the airline immediately. Given Oman Air’s UK footprint is smaller, call wait times are likely to be significant — use the online Manage Booking portal first.
A significant number of UK passengers affected by this crisis are not flying to the Middle East. They are flying through it — using Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi as transit hubs to reach destinations in Asia, Australia, East Africa or the Indian Ocean.
If your ticket has a connecting segment through a suspended hub, the rules work differently depending on how your ticket is structured:
If it is a single through-ticket (one booking number, one airline or partner airline): The whole ticket is disrupted. The airline is obligated to reroute you to your final destination at no additional cost, or provide a full refund for the entire ticket if they cannot reroute.
If you booked separately (two separate tickets — e.g., British Airways to Dubai, then Emirates Dubai to Sydney): If British Airways operates your London-to-Dubai leg and Emirates cancels the Dubai-to-Sydney leg, British Airways is not legally obligated to cover your Emirates disruption. You must claim from Emirates separately. This is one of the strongest arguments for always booking through-tickets rather than self-connecting.
What to do if you’re self-connecting and stuck: Contact both airlines. Most are being flexible on “goodwill” rerouting even where they have no strict legal obligation, because the FCDO advisory and the scale of the crisis gives them commercial incentive to cooperate.
If you booked your Middle East holiday as a package (flights + hotel, or flights + transfers) through a UK tour operator such as Thomas Cook, TUI, Jet2 Holidays, or Virgin Holidays, your rights under the UK Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 are significantly stronger than for flight-only passengers.
If flight delays or cancellations lead to your holiday being cancelled, or new arrangements are made that result in a significant change to your holiday, your travel company must offer an alternative holiday if they can, or a refund for the full price of your package holiday.
Additionally: if the trip is cancelled because flights are no longer operating, similar protections apply under package travel regulations, and if your holiday company collapses, you may be protected under the ATOL scheme, overseen by the Civil Aviation Authority.
In practice, this means: if you booked a package and the FCDO advises against travel to your destination, your tour operator cannot simply say “we’re not cancelling — your flight is still technically scheduled.” They must offer a full refund or a comparable alternative, and they must do so within 14 days of the cancellation.
If you used Avios, Flying Blue, Miles & More or another frequent flyer currency to book an award ticket on an affected route, your situation is slightly different.
British Airways Avios redemptions: Now explicitly included under the BA waiver — confirmed in the March 1 update. You should be able to rebook free or reclaim your Avios for cancelled flights.
KLM Flying Blue redemptions: The KLM waiver applies to flights issued on or before March 1, 2026. Contact Flying Blue directly if the online system does not process your redemption refund automatically.
Partner award redemptions: If you booked a partner award (e.g., using BA Avios to fly on Qatar Airways), the airline flying the plane cannot help you with a refund — you must contact the issuing airline (BA) to process the refund or rebooking.
Travel insurance is the area causing the most confusion and the most distress for UK passengers right now. Here is the clear picture.
What is likely covered:
What is likely NOT covered:
Practical advice: Before cancelling anything or paying for alternative travel out of pocket, call your travel insurer’s emergency line and ask them to confirm in writing what your policy covers. Get the reference number for that call. This protects you if there is a dispute later.
Under UK aviation law (which retained and mirrors EU261/2004 regulations post-Brexit), you have the following rights when your flight is cancelled:
Right to a full refund: For any cancelled flight, within 7 days of your refund request. This applies regardless of whether the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances.
Right to rerouting: The airline must offer you comparable transport to your destination at the earliest opportunity, or at a later date at your convenience.
Right to care: If you are at an airport and your flight is cancelled or delayed more than 2 hours, the airline must provide meals, refreshments, and accommodation if you require an overnight stay. Keep all receipts.
Fixed-sum compensation (EU261 equivalent): Passengers are unlikely to be entitled to fixed-sum compensation for delays or cancellations directly caused by the Middle East situation — the airspace closure constitutes extraordinary circumstances. However, if your delay was caused by a knock-on effect further removed from the immediate conflict (for example, a domestic UK flight delayed because a crew member was repositioning from a Middle East cancellation), the picture becomes more complex and it may be worth filing a claim.
If your flight is in the next 72 hours:
If your flight is in 3–14 days:
If your flight is 15+ days away:
| Airline | Routes Covered | Suspension Until | Free Rebook Until | Full Refund? | Refund Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways | DXB, AUH, AMM, BAH, DOH, TLV, LCA (Heathrow) | Ongoing | March 29 (for travel by) | Yes (travel up to Mar 8) | 7 days |
| KLM | DXB, DMM, RUH (Mar 5); TLV (winter season) | March 5 (DXB); Rest of winter (TLV) | March 15 | Yes (cancelled flights) | 7 days |
| Lufthansa | TLV, BEY, AMM, EBL, DMM, IKA (Mar 8); DXB, AUH (Mar 4) | March 4–8 (varies by route) | Within waiver window | Yes (cancelled flights) | 7 days |
| Virgin Atlantic | DXB, RUH (Heathrow) | Ongoing assessment | TBC | Yes (cancelled flights) | 7 days |
| Wizz Air | TLV, DXB, AUH, AMM | March 7 | March 7 | Yes — request cash refund, not credit | 7 days |
| Air France | TLV, BEY | Ongoing | March 23 | Yes (cancelled flights) | 7 days |
| Oman Air | AMM, DXB, BAH, DOH, DMM, KWI, CPH, BGW | Daily assessment | Daily assessment | Yes (cancelled flights) | 7 days |
All dates correct as of March 3, 2026. Waivers are being updated frequently — always verify against the airline’s official travel advisory page before acting.
Posted By : Vinay
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