Iran-Israel conflict: UAE travellers cancel trips to Europe, US on disruption fears

Dubai: A growing number of UAE-based travellers are cancelling or postponing their summer holidays as the ripple effects of the Iran-Israel conflict begin impacting global air travel—well beyond the borders of the conflict zone.

Travel agents in the UAE report a sharp spike in cancellation requests, especially for routes involving Europe and the US — destinations not directly affected by the crisis, but now facing delays or reroutes due to widespread airspace closures.

“Over the past week, we’ve seen a significant rise in cancellations for trips scheduled between now and mid-August,” said Mehar Sawlani, Director of Sales at Richmond Gulf Tourism. “Destinations that involve layovers through affected airspace are triggering the most concern. Clients are nervous about the unpredictability of return flights.”

Even incentive trips and corporate bookings are being reassessed. “We had a call this morning from a client planning a corporate trip to Belarus in July. They’re now reconsidering whether to go ahead,” Sawlani added.

Flight data from tracking platforms Flightradar24 and FlightAware shows a surprising increase in cancellations on inbound flights to Dubai from regions outside the immediate conflict. This includes cities in Pakistan and India such as Karachi, Lahore and Multan—where flight cancellations surged from around 5% to as high as 20% after June 7.

European routes are also seeing pressure. Flights connecting via Istanbul, a key hub for UAE-bound passengers, are showing cancellation rates of 5–10%, compared to the typical 1–3%. Though these numbers remain relatively low, they reflect a broader disruption to flight networks caused by mid-air congestion.

At the heart of the issue are airspace closures over Iran, Iraq, Israel, and Jordan—major flight corridors between Asia and Europe. Since the flare-up of conflict on June 13, airlines have been scrambling to reroute aircraft around restricted zones, leading to longer flight times, scheduling disruptions, and in many cases, outright cancellations.

The bottleneck effect is being felt globally. Aircraft and crews are tied up in longer flight rotations, forcing carriers to cancel secondary routes and prioritise long-haul or high-yield services.

This means even UAE travellers flying from cities not in the conflict zone may face last-minute changes, delays, or grounding of flights.

According to UAE agents, some travellers are cancelling proactively, worried that a return leg might get disrupted—or that airspace conditions could change mid-trip. Others are responding to sudden itinerary changes from airlines themselves.

“Safety is one factor, but the bigger concern is being stranded or facing prolonged delays while travelling with family,” said one UAE-based agent. “We’re advising clients to stay flexible, avoid tight itineraries, and buy fully refundable tickets where possible.”

With summer travel already peaking and flight availability tightening, agents warn that rebooking or adjusting travel plans at the last minute will only get harder.

As uncertainty looms over regional airspace and airline schedules remain fluid, UAE travellers are urged to plan with caution and remain updated with the latest advisories from both airlines and travel agents.