US-Israel war on Iran reshapes European summer travel
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- British Airways suspended flights to Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Tel Aviv, permanently dropped its London-Jeddah route, and will cut its London-Riyadh service from twice daily to once daily when it resumes in August.
- Virgin Atlantic suspended its London-Dubai route through the coming winter season, while the EU Aviation Safety Agency this week told airlines to avoid Jordanian airspace and extended its warning against Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman until August 31.
- TUI, Europe's largest tour operator, said 75% of its European travelers traditionally book summer holidays in Europe, with demand for all-inclusive package holidays "even stronger this year."
- Trailfinders had thousands of bookings to rearrange or cancel after the UK Foreign Office advised against travel to the region — but now reports "incredible pent-up demand" for Gulf travel after the advisory was lifted.
- A Pakistan International Airlines pilot said rerouted flights add one to two hours and burn an extra 2,500–7,000 kg of fuel per aircraft, citing the December 2024 downing of Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 as a reminder of military-jamming risks off course.
- For Sri Lanka, 77 of 87 weekly flights connecting Europe to the island run through the Middle East, and nearly all were disrupted, with one UK-based operator comparing the initial chaos to "almost like COVID."
- Industry-wide summer bookings are down 20 to 30 percent, with families with young children most likely to cancel outright while young couples and retirees proved far more willing to risk longer layovers.
Why it matters: Tourism operators in transit-dependent countries like Sri Lanka — where 77 of 87 weekly Europe flights route through the Middle East — are absorbing a 20–30% drop in summer bookings, while European travelers reroute into destinations like Italy, Spain, Greece, and Norway, redistributing pressure onto intra-European capacity and pricing.
