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Air France has confirmed that it has suspended flights to Riyadh, Dubai and Beirut due to the current security situation in the Middle East.
In a statement posted on its website on 20 July, Air France said it is “monitoring the situation” in the near and Middle East “in real time” and has suspended the routes because of “restrictions that may affect certain airspaces”.
The airline has now suspended flights to and from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia until 24 July inclusive, while flights to and from Dubai, UAE, are suspended until 27 July. It has also extended the suspension of flights to and from Lebanon’s capital Beirut until 2 August inclusive.
“The resumption of operations will remain subject to an assessment of the security situation on the ground, which is very fluid,” Air France said.
“The company constantly monitors the evolving geopolitical situation in the territories served and overflown by its aircraft in order to ensure the highest level of flight safety and security.”
Which other airlines have cancelled or suspended flights?
In its latest Conflict Zone Information Bulletin (CZIB) issued on 14 July, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) advised airlines to avoid the airspace of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the UAE, as well as the Gulf of Oman. The status remains active until 29 July.
As previously reported on Euronews Travel, many carriers have set their resumption dates for late October. Several carriers have scheduled their services to resume around 24 or 25 October, coinciding with the start of the aviation industry’s northern winter timetable.
KLM has adjusted its flight schedule and is “closely monitoring developments” in the Middle East. Currently, KLM is not flying through the airspace of Iran, Iraq, and Israel, nor over several countries in the Gulf region. Flights to and from Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia are suspended up to and including 23 August, as are flights to and from Dubai. KLM has also said that some flights to, from or via Beirut “may be disrupted” until 16 August.
Greece’s largest carrier Aegean Airlines has cancelled flights to Dubai until 31 August, and flights to Erbil and Baghdad until 30 September.
Singapore Airlines had previously suspended flights to Dubai until 2 August, and has now extended the suspension until 24 October. Singapore’s low-cost subsidiary Scoot has also confirmed that flights to and from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia will be cancelled until 8 August.
Philippine Airlines resumed flights between Manila and Doha on 1 July, but services between Manila and Dubai remain suspended until 2 October.
British Airways has delayed the resumption of several Middle East routes. Flights to Dubai, Tel Aviv, Bahrain and Amman are suspended until 25 October, while services to Doha are scheduled to resume on 1 August and to Riyadh on 8 August.
Air Canada flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv remain cancelled until 24 October inclusive.
Cathay Pacific’s passenger flights to Dubai will resume on 25 October and Riyadh on 26 October, having previously been scheduled to restart on 1 September.
Latvian flag carrier airBaltic has cancelled flights to Dubai until 24 October.
Lufthansa Group continues to operate a reduced network across the Middle East. SWISS has postponed the resumption of flights to Tel Aviv until August, while Brussels Airlines has suspended its Tel Aviv services until 24 October. Lufthansa and SWISS flights to Dubai remain suspended until 13 September. Across the group, services to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Erbil, Muscat, Riyadh and Tehran remain suspended until 24 October.