British Airways is extending flight cancellations to most of its destinations in the Middle East until October 25 at the earliest, as uncertainty persists over the Trump administration’s ability to seal a peace deal with Iran.
On Monday, British Airways announced it would not return to four destinations in the Persian Gulf until the end of the official Summer schedule period, which traditionally ends on the last Sunday of October.
The destinations that won’t resume until October 25 are: Amman (AMM), Bahrain (BAH, Dubai (DXB), and Tel Aviv (TLV).
However, British Airways does intend to resume flights to Doha (DOH) and Riyadh (RUH) in August.
In the past couple of weeks, a slew of international carriers have extended their cancellations to Persian Gulf destinations through most of the busy summer period:
- Delta Air Lines: Won’t resume its flagship New York JFK to Tel Aviv service until September 6. A second service from Atlanta to Tel Aviv has been suspended until December 18, while a new route launch from Boston to Tel Aviv has been put on hold until further notice.
- American Airlines: Has extended flight cancellations to both Doha and Tel Aviv until January 2027. The carrier will not have served Tel Aviv for more than three years when services are expected to resume.
- United Airlines: Expects to resume flights to both Tel Aviv and Dubai on September 7, 2026, although this date is subject to change.
BA’s decision to resume flights to Doha while sidelining Dubai is down to the fact that it has an important joint venture with Qatar Airways, and passengers on British Airways flights are fed onto connecting Qatar Airways flights through Doha.
In contrast, Dubai is generally a quieter route during the very hot summer months, which can dampen demand considerably.
While most international airlines are grounding flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future, Etihad Airways is reportedly planning to massively expand its operation in Israel, taking advantage of the business opportunity that the current security situation has presented.
Etihad Airways currently flies to Tel Aviv twice per day, but from June 15, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier is expected to ramp up operations to six daily flights, serving pent-up demand from Israelis desperate to go on vacation in Asia or reach the United States.
