Middle East Conflict Disrupts Travel, Cancels 17,000 Bookings

The escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran, which intensified in late February, has disrupted travel across the Middle East and beyond, leading to the cancellation of approximately 17,000 bookings and prompting updated warnings from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for several popular destinations.

The war has triggered widespread airspace closures and flight cancellations in key Gulf hubs, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Major airlines such as British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, and FlyDubai have reduced or suspended services to cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. These disruptions stem from heightened security risks, including Iranian strikes on civilian infrastructure such as ports, hotels, energy facilities, and airports, as well as drone and missile attacks that have intercepted over Gulf states. In the UAE alone, more than 2,000 such incidents have been reported since late February, resulting in at least 11 deaths, according to the Emirati defense ministry.

Online travel agency Lastminute.com, which offers packages to Gulf destinations, reported that the affected bookings represent about one and a...