Almost half of Heathrow-Middle East flights cancelled

Twenty-four of the 56 flights that were scheduled to depart from the London airport on Sunday for the region have been axed.

Nearly half of the flights scheduled to depart from London Heathrow to destinations in the Middle East have been cancelled on Sunday, according to recent data.

Analytics company Cirium said 24 of the 56 flights from the UK’s busiest airport to the Middle East have been axed – which amounts to 43% of departures to the region.

All three flights scheduled to depart for Israel and two bound for Bahrain are among those cancelled.

The next most-cancelled destinations include departures to Qatar (eight out of nine), and the United Arab Emirates (nine out of 17).

One of eight flights bound for Saudi Arabia on Sunday was cancelled, as well as one of two departures to Jordan.

However, five scheduled flights to Egypt, two to Oman and eight bound for Turkey seem to have remained unaffected so far.

The cancellations come after US and Israeli forces attacked Iran on Saturday morning in what the two countries described as a “pre-emptive” strike against a Tehran government intent on developing nuclear weapons.

The attack prompted retaliation from Iran, with missiles reported to have targeted Israel and countries across the Middle East.

Subsequent airspace closures created major disruption for airlines, with many deciding to suspend flights to and from the region until Monday.

In a statement published on X on Sunday morning, Emirates airline said: “Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai, up until 3pm UAE time on Monday March 2.”

Etihad Airways advised passengers that while airspace closures continue, disruption is to be expected.

“Regional airspace closures continue to impact Etihad’s operations, and all flights to and from Abu Dhabi are suspended until 2am UAE time on Monday March 2,” the airline said on X.

Qatar Airways said on Saturday night that flights remained temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace.

It said on X: “Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace.

“A further update will be provided by 9am Doha time (6am UTC).”

In a later post on Sunday morning, Qatar Airways warned passengers of scammers impersonating airline staff online.

“We are aware of fraudulent accounts impersonating Qatar Airways and requesting personal information,” the airline said.

“Qatar Airways will never ask for passwords, OTPs, banking details, or other sensitive information via social media or direct messages.”

Virgin Atlantic said on Sunday morning it is continuing to avoid Iraqi airspace, resulting in some pre-planned rerouting of flights between London Heathrow and the region.

“Due to the escalation of conflict in the Middle East we have rerouted some of our flights and taken the decision to cancel services between London Heathrow and Dubai as well as services between London Heathrow and Riyadh on Sunday March 1 and Monday March 2,” a spokesperson said.

There are still 83 flights scheduled to operate between the UK and the Middle East on Sunday, according to Cirium.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has advised British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to register their presence with the UK Government to receive updates on the situation in the Middle East.

In a statement published on X on Saturday night, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and United Arab Emirates can register their presence to receive direct updates from the FCDO on the situation in the Middle East.

“You should continue to follow travel advice and the advice of the local authorities.”