LONDON — British Airways has announced a major suspension of its flight schedule across the Middle East, citing “continuing uncertainty of the situation in the region and airspace instability.” The UK’s flag carrier has grounded all services to a number of key destinations, impacting thousands of passengers.
The suspension affects all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv, which will remain cancelled until later this month. In a more significant scaling back of operations, services to and from Abu Dhabi have been suspended for an extended period and are not scheduled to resume until later this year.
In a statement released to passengers, British Airways said it is “keeping the situation under constant review” and is actively contacting affected customers to offer a range of options, including full refunds and rebooking onto alternative services where possible.
Limited Repatriation Flights from Oman
For British Airways customers currently stranded in the region, the airline is operating a limited number of dedicated repatriation flights from Oman.
The carrier has confirmed that seats are available on flights from Muscat to London Heathrow on 11 and 12 March exclusively for customers with an existing British Airways booking. However, the airline warned that capacity on these flights is extremely limited.
Following these two scheduled departures, the repatriation service from Oman will be paused. British Airways stated this is due to “reduced demand” for the route, but it stressed that the situation, including the potential need for additional rescue flights, “will be kept under continuous review.”
Passengers holding bookings on the affected routes or seeking a seat on the Muscat repatriation flights are urged to check the British Airways website and their registered contact details for the latest information and instructions.
Due to the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability, we’ve had to temporarily reduce our flying schedule in the region. We’ve cancelled all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv until later this month and to and from Abu Dhabi until later this year. We’re keeping the situation under constant review and are in touch with our customers to offer them a range of options. We have limited seats remaining on our repatriation flights from Oman (Muscat) to London Heathrow on 11 and 12 March for customers with an existing booking. Following these dates, the flights will pause due to reduced demand but will be kept under continuous review. make a news story
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