With any efforts to reach a ceasefire failing to hold, the volatile security situation set off by the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran has left airlines flying into the Middle East struggling to plan any service.
Delta Air Lines recently extended the suspension of its flight between Atlanta and Tel Aviv until November 2026, while American Airlines confirmed that it will not restart its routes to Doha and Tel Aviv until 2027 at the earliest.
Dutch flag carrier KLM’s last update states that it will “not operate flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam until and including August 23.” Air France, which is under the same Air France-KLM parent company, just released a new extension of its routes to Dubai, Riyadh, and Beirut.
“Security situation on the ground is highly fluid”: Air France on Middle East flights
In an update issued on July 20, the suspension of Air France’s route between Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris and Dubai International (DXB) has been extended until July 27, EuroNews indicated. The flight to Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) will not restart until Aug. 2.
The flight to King Khalid International Airport (RUH) in Riyadh is currently set to restart on July 24.
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“The resumption of operations will remain subject to an assessment of the security situation on the ground, which is highly fluid,” the airline said in a statement on its flight restart timeline. “[…] The airline continuously monitors the geopolitical situation in the territories served and overflown by its aircraft in order to ensure the highest level of flight safety and security.”
The flights to Dubai and Beirut have been suspended since the strike on the last day of February. Meanwhile, Air France resumed the service to Riyadh several times during periods of relative quiet before suspending it again.
Ciel Tower Dubai
“Affected customers are being notified individually,” Air France says of flight refund options
According to the airline’s update, anyone with booked travel for dates before the new restart dates or those who kept pushing back an unused ticket will be contacted with options to rebook or refund it. Travelers can also initiate this process on their own through their booking on the Air France website.
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“Affected customers are being notified individually,” Air France states further. “Commercial measures available on airfrance.com are in place, allowing customers to cancel or postpone their travel at no extra cost, even if their flight is not canceled.”
The guidance from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to European airlines is currently to avoid the airspace of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan until Aug. 31, Reuters confirmed.
This comes amid a fresh round of strikes between Iran and the U.S., as NPR reported. The risk of new hostilities in response to the three U.S. troops killed by Iranian ballistics and drone attacks on military bases remains high.
Air France’s restart dates, which in some cases are just a few days from when the update was published, are significantly more optimistic than those of many of its European and North American competitors.
Related: Another airline cancels 3 flights to U.S., offers refunds
