So far, Australian travelers have largely avoided major flight cancellations or disruptions, even as airlines worldwide steer clear of conflict zones over the Middle East or suspend services altogether.
Flight tracking data indicates that airlines are avoiding airspace over Iran, Iraq, and Israel. Some have also canceled services to destinations on the southern side of the Gulf. Dean Long, CEO of the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA), noted that many international airlines are rerouting flights, especially those passing through key transit hubs like Doha and Dubai.
Minimal Impact on Australian Flights
“We’re not seeing any major cancellations or significant delays affecting Australian travelers,” Long said. “Flights are impacted as available corridors narrow, but it’s not causing large-scale disruption for Australians at this stage.”
Former Airbus A380 captain James Nixon, with 31 years of flying experience, explained that avoiding certain airspace is “business as usual” for airlines. “You trust the airline’s security department to reroute around any unsafe areas, and they usually close those air spaces immediately,” he said. “Every day, airlines are rerouted over different airspace to ensure safety.”
How Safety Is Monitored
Nixon added that airlines rely on organizations like Ops Group, which provides real-time flight risk information to flight planning and security teams. “They build flight paths around restricted zones,” he explained. Currently, flights are being routed over Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and into Europe, avoiding Iran, Iraq, and Jordan areas he considers “completely safe,” being “hundreds of miles away from any action.”
Professor of Aviation Kan Tsui from the University of Southern Queensland said airlines use their safety management systems to monitor risks. “They have standard procedures to assess the risk for each flight,” Tsui said.
Impact on Specific Routes and Flights
Virgin Australia, which recently launched new services to Doha in partnership with Qatar Airways, reports no disruptions. The airline is closely monitoring the situation.
Qantas, which does not operate flights directly to Doha or Dubai, relies on partner airlines like Emirates and Qatar. Meanwhile, Israel’s Airports Authority announced that rescue flights to the country will increase to 24 per day starting Monday, though each flight will carry only 50 passengers.
El Al, Israel’s national airline, has received about 25,000 applications from people seeking to leave the country within a day.
Travel Advice
Tourism officials advise travelers not to preemptively cancel flights. Long emphasized that canceling early can complicate booking management, especially on fare types with strict conditions. “The worst thing you can do is cancel before you need to,” he said, encouraging travelers to wait for official updates from airlines or travel agents.
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