US-Israel War on Iran Upends European Travel Habits
Travelers are mass-canceling distant destinations and turning to closer European getaways, while airlines face millions in losses and extended flight times.
Travelers are mass-canceling distant destinations and turning to closer European getaways, while airlines face millions in losses and extended flight times.
The war between the United States and Israel against Iran has caused massive disruptions in global air travel, forcing airlines to undertake costly flight rerouting and European travelers to make sweeping changes to their summer vacation plans. As the conflict continues, more tourists are turning their backs on distant Asian destinations and seeking safer, closer options within Europe.
Travelers who had planned trips via the Middle East, a key transit hub for flights to Asia and Australia, have been particularly affected. Nadia Waleed, who set off from London with her family for a holiday in Bali and then Pakistan, experienced a nightmare with Emirates' flight schedules. "A family holiday with multiple flights and stopovers is stressful even in the best of times, but the situation in Iran has resulted in numerous last-minute schedule changes by the airline," Waleed told Al Jazeera. Her return flight was altered so that the planned three-hour stopover in Dubai extended to a full 18 hours, triggering a "two-hour phone marathon" to find an alternative. "We managed to get earlier return flights from Pakistan, which reduced the layover time," she added. However, the very next day, one family member's schedule was changed again, with their return flight delayed by a full month. During the holiday itself, flight details changed even by the hour, requiring constant adjustments to taxis and transfers.
The scale of the disruption goes far beyond individual cases. At UK travel agency Trailfinders, as spokesperson Nikki Davies explained, the conflict meant thousands of bookings had to be rearranged or canceled. Travelers were mass-canceling trips after the UK Foreign Office issued a warning against travel to the region, which would void their insurance. Although that warning has since been lifted and there is "incredible pent-up demand," traveler preferences have shifted dramatically.
"Europe is proving extremely popular because it's closer to home, with standout destinations being Italy, Spain, Greece, and Norway," Davies highlighted. This trend is confirmed by Europe's largest tour operator, TUI. "Traditionally, 75 percent of TUI's European travelers book their summer holidays in Europe. This trend toward package deals is even stronger this year and shows that travelers are flocking to all-inclusive and protected packages," said TUI spokesperson Aage Dunhaupt.
Avoiding the war zone comes at a price, measured in tons of fuel and hours in the air. Rerouted flights heading west typically add an extra one to two hours of flight time and burn between 2,500 and 7,000 kilograms more fuel, depending on the aircraft, explained Moiz Hamid, a pilot for Pakistan International Airlines. "Flying a longer, safer alternative route carries its own risk, with unfamiliarity being the biggest factor. In normal situations, you don't fly through certain areas, but in these unusual circumstances, you have to be rerouted through areas that your company, your operator, and your regulator deem safe. Fatigue increases, and the extended workload increases," Hamid warned, recalling the downing of Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 in December 2024, which was attributed to navigational errors caused by military GPS jamming.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) this week advised airlines to avoid Jordanian airspace, and the existing warning for Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman has been extended until August 31. As a direct consequence, British Airways has suspended flights to Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Tel Aviv, and is permanently canceling the London-Jeddah route. It is also reducing the frequency of its London-Riyadh service from two to one daily. Virgin Atlantic has suspended its Dubai route for the upcoming winter season.
The disruptions are also being felt in countries with no direct ties to the conflict. London-based tour operator Jean-Marc Flambert noted that for Sri Lanka, of the 87 weekly flights connecting it to Europe, 77 pass through the Middle East, and nearly all have been disrupted. "It was almost like COVID in the early stages," Flambert described. Bookings for this summer in the industry have fallen by 20 to 30 percent. It's a blow to local communities that depend on tourism, which Flambert vividly illustrated with an anecdote about a fisherman who brought fresh catch to a hotel but had no one to sell it to because there were no guests. "What does the fisherman do? He'd just dig a hole and throw it away," he said. "If you lose $500, it will hurt, but it won't kill you. Affected countries feel it. Let's be a little empathetic," he appealed.
Flambert noted that families with young children were the most likely to cancel trips, while young couples and retirees were more willing to risk longer waits or missed connections. He himself is traveling with his family to Tanzania via Emirates this summer and is delaying hotel payments until the last minute. "What if something happens? We didn't take a package, so obviously if the airline changes the flight and the hotel is still there, we'll lose the hotel money," he said. Independent travel agent Assra Satti confirmed that clients are now seeking written guarantees before booking. For a family traveling to Vietnam via Istanbul, she managed to secure written confirmation of rerouting or refund options in case of disruption, and her advice is to book everything as a single protected package, "because then the entire holiday is protected."
