Aussie Travellers Urged Not to Cancel Middle East Flights Amid Airspace Closures
Australian travellers with trips booked to or through the Middle East are being strongly advised not to cancel their flights prematurely, as more than 115,000 Aussies remain stranded following sweeping airspace closures across the region. Passengers should resist the urge to take matters into their own hands, with aviation expert and lawyer Nick Humphrey warning that cancelling too early could leave them significantly out of pocket.
If you cancel it without having the right by the airline to do so, you’ll be subject to the type of ticket you got, Humphrey told Sunrise on Tuesday. If you’ve got a fully flexible ticket, that’s OK. If you’ve got one of those ready deals, then you might have very limited refund options.
Airline Updates and Passenger Priorities
Airlines are already offering dispensation for affected passengers, issuing rolling updates as the crisis unfolds and prioritising those people due to fly within days. The key is to watch what the airlines are saying, Humphrey emphasised. For travellers with departures weeks or months away, Humphrey advised to wait, watch and observe. If you’re travelling in a month, don’t call the airlines because you’re not going to be prioritised as well, he said. Their priority is people who haven’t been able to take their flights or are flying the next few days.
Stranded Australians and Escalating Conflict
The warning comes as thousands of Australians remain caught in limbo across major transit hubs in the region. Families have been stuck sleeping on airport floors, while others were transported to emergency accommodation with little guidance about what comes next. Among them is Trina Hockley, who was meant to spend just one night in Doha on her way home from Helsinki but has found herself stranded with limited information and essential medication supply running low.
The conflict in the Middle East escalated dramatically over the weekend after the United States and Israel launched co-ordinated air strikes against Iran, killing leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military figures. Iran responded with retaliatory missile strikes across the Gulf, targeting key infrastructure, including major international airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The attacks forced immediate airspace closures across one of the world’s busiest aviation corridors, disrupting global flight paths and stranding thousands of travellers. More than 100,000 Australians are believed to be caught up in the escalating crisis.
Travel Insurance Limitations and Expert Advice
Unfortunately for many, most travel insurance policies will have an exclusion for war risk, meaning the policies won’t cover costs of emergency accommodation or rebooking flights when airspace does open. Insurers can’t insure the uninsurable events, essentially. It’s too cost-prohibitive, Humphrey explained. He also warned policies may be voided entirely if travellers departed after a do not travel advisory was issued, which now applies to large parts of the Middle East.
For now, experts say patience rather than panic will put travellers in the strongest position, with airlines expected to dictate the pace of refunds, rebookings and any eventual path home once the skies reopen.
