The US-Israel attack on Iran has thrown the Middle East’s aviation industry into chaos with regional airspace closures and mass flight cancellations.
International airports in Doha, Qatar, and in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE have long been key regional hubs connecting Europe with Asia and Africa.
With these airports offering limited flight schedules – and many travellers understandably unwilling to fly through the region – European airlines are having to adapt their schedules.
Many carriers are now increasing their direct flight offering to cities across Asia and Africa to accommodate passenger demand.
European airlines offering short-term flight increases
Lufthansa is among the carriers increasing the number of flights being offered to Asia and Africa, with four extra flights between Munich and Singapore, and two flights to Cape Town, announced last week.
Austrian Airlines, which is part of the Lufthansa Group, has also added 10 special flights from Vienna to Bangkok and back.
The group made the decision due to a “significant increase in demand”, and said that further special flights are in the planning stages.
In response to the crisis Air France has been using larger capacity aircraft on its routes to Bangkok, Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Tokyo and Phuket. It will also add additional flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Delhi.
British Airways has also added extra services between Bangkok and Singapore in recent days.
New direct routes to Asia, Africa and beyond
Asia and the Pacific is still yet to recover from COVID-19, with arrivals in the region hitting 331 million in 2025, 91% of the pre-pandemic figure, according to UN Tourism’s World Tourism Barometer.
Arrivals grew 6% year-on-year, and airlines across Europe have had plans to increase flights to the region in the pipeline long before the crisis in the Middle East began.
Earlier this month, Lufthansa announced it would be launching five weekly flights from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur, becoming the fourth Asian destination offered by the airline alongside Bangkok, Singapore and Phuket.
British Airways will fly three times a week to Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo from October, and the airline will start daily flights from London Heathrow to Melbourne via Kuala Lumpur from January next year.
The British flag carrier had resumed its route to Kuala Lumpur in April 2025 after a hiatus of five years.
Virgin Atlantic is set to launch daily flights to South Korea’s capital Seoul next week from London Heathrow.
Arrivals in Africa are also growing, with an 8% increase to 81 million visitors in 2025.
New routes include Air Europa’s service from Madrid to Johannesburg, set to launch this June, and Aegean Airlines’ service from Athens to Casablanca, launching in October.
EasyJet also launched direct flights from London Gatwick to Cape Verde off the coast of west Africa in March last year, with plans to add a route from Bristol in May.
Is your travel insurance still valid if you transit through the Middle East?
One of the most important steps to take before booking a trip is to check if your country has issued any travel advisories for the destination you are visiting. But what you might not realise is that these alerts can also apply to places you are transiting through.
For example, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has advised “against all but essential travel” to parts of Ecuador and Mexico, but it has exceptions for airside transit in certain places.
In its travel advisories for Middle East destinations including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, no such exception is listed.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has specifically said its “do not travel” advice applies to transit and layovers, even for those who do not intend to leave the airport.