Updates* (13 March, 08:00 am UTC)

• Current situation regarding the evacuation of German holidaymakers
• Gradual resumption of air traffic in the UAE and Qatar; normalisation of air traffic in Azerbaijan
• Situation report on Cyprus
• Update on airspace closures
• Information on further refund options (Emirates, Etihad and British Airways)
• Germany began evacuation flights on Tuesday (3 March), with other European countries also carrying out evacuation flights.

* Changes since the last update are highlighted in italics.

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The Israeli-American operation “Epic Fury” has been underway since Saturday morning (28 February). Iran has responded with missile attacks on US bases in several countries in the region. Some of the missiles have been intercepted, while others have landed uncontrolled. The cruise ship Mein Schiff 4, moored at Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi, also narrowly escaped being hit. On board: around 2,500 passengers. But hundreds of thousands of travellers are also waiting at airports around the world, their flights being diverted or simply cancelled due to airspace closures.

Such developments show how quickly security situations can change – and how directly tourist infrastructure can be affected (all developments to date can be followed on the Blog).

A3M Travel Security Analyst Marian Nothing provides an overview:

Airspace Closures

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar reacted quickly to the escalating situation and closed their airspace, with other countries following suit. The closure of airspace resulted in thousands of flights being cancelled or diverted, leaving visitors to the Arabian Peninsula stranded. Here is a current overview of the airspace closures:

• Bahrain – until at least 12 March (08:00 UTC)
• Iran – until at least 13 March (08:30 UTC)
• Iraq – until at least 13 March (09:00 UTC)
• Israel – until at least 16 March (10:00 UTC)
• Qatar – partial closure
• Kuwait – until at least 11 March (16:00 UTC)
• Saudi Arabia – partial closure
• Syria – until at least 11 March (21:00 UTC)
• United Arab Emirates – partial closure

All closures will be re-evaluated upon expiry and are likely to be renewed. This can be assumed based on previous announcements by the US that further bombing of Iran could continue for weeks.

Although Saudi Arabia has not issued a direct airspace closure, flight connections are very limited due to closures in neighbouring countries. The United Arab Emirates has resumed about half of all flights operated by Emirates and flydubai in Dubai (DXB), and about half of all flights operated by Air Arabia in Sharjah (SHJ). Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi (AUH), and Qatar Airways, based in Qatar (DOH), are currently operating only around 10% of their flights. Affected passengers will be contacted by their airlines. Civil air traffic in Israel has been largely suspended and is only operating with prior government approval. Evacuation flights are not affected by the airspace closures.

For the Lufthansa Group, air traffic remains suspended as follows:

United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) – 15 March
Saudi Arabia (Dammam) – 15 March
Israel (Tel Aviv) – 2 April
Jordan (Amman) – 15 March
Iraq (Erbil) – 15 March
Lebanon (Beirut) – 28 March
Iran (Tehran) – 30 April

The security situation by Federal Foreign Office

Travellers should always pay attention to the travel advice issued by the Foreign Office, as this also allows for refunds on upcoming bookings. It is also advisable to register on the Foreign Office’s crisis prevention list in order to receive information about foreign missions. A crisis hotline has also been set up: +49 30 5000 87777. Both the Foreign Office and A3M provide detailed information on the current situation. An overview of the current situation:

• Azerbaijan – Partial Travel warning (A3M)
• Bahrain – Travel warning (A3M)
• Iran – Travel warning and departure order (A3M)
• Iraq – Travel warning (A3M)
• Israel – Travel warning (A3M)
• Jordan – Travel warning (A3M)
• Qatar – Travel warning (A3M)
• Lebanon – Travel warning and departure order (A3M)
• Kuwait – Travel warning (A3M)
• Oman – Travel warning (A3M)
• Saudi-Arabia – Travel warning (A3M)
• Syria – Travel warning (A3M)
• United Arab Emirates – Travel warning (A3M)

The British military base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, was targeted by several Iranian Shahed drones on Monday night (2 March, local time), although these were not launched from Iran. Although all missiles were intercepted (one landed on the runway), the incident triggered evacuations at Paphos Airport. The Lufthansa Group has resumed all flights to the island after it had cancelled them. The Foreign Office has not yet made any explicit changes to its travel advice for Cyprus.

The US authorities have urged their citizens to leave all countries affected by the conflict, including Egypt and Pakistan. US citizens are at increased risk of becoming victims of violence. On Thursday (5 March), South Korea imposed a ban on its citizens travelling to Iran. Violations will be punished.

Situation for stranded tourists

To alleviate the inconvenience and concerns of many travellers, the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has announced that it will cover the additional costs incurred for hotel stays by individual travellers. In other cases, these costs will be covered by tour operators or European airlines for up to three days. Like Abu Dhabi, the Emirate of Dubai has also announced a similar regulation, which applies in cases of explicit emergencies. In addition, some tour operators are also allowing their guests to move to other accommodation or another emirate, such as Ra’s al Chaima. If hotels and airlines in the third country are booked independently, travellers must usually bear the costs themselves (except in Abu Dhabi and possibly Dubai).

Affected Emirates travellers can book an alternative flight for travel up to and including 20 March or request a refund. Guests with Etihad tickets issued up to and including 28 February 2026 and whose original travel dates are up to 7 March can rebook onto Etihad-operated flights free of charge until 18 March. British Airways has announced that customers flying between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv until 15 March can rebook their flight date free of charge to a flight up to and including 29 March, while customers travelling until 8 March can also request a full refund.

In addition to all the individual options, however, the air defences of the United Arab Emirates, as well as other Gulf states, have proven that they can effectively repel attacks from Iran. In an emergency, there are also evacuation routes and measures in place to bring guests to safety.

A total of around 30,000 German package holidaymakers were in the region, although even more are affected by the closure of hubs on the Arabian Peninsula. Guests on the TUI Cruises Mein Schiff 4 (Zayed Port) and Mein Schiff 5 (Doha Port) are being looked after on the ships. Part of the upper deck was closed to protect passengers from rocket debris. All guests on Mein Schiff 4 have now been flown out on evacuation flights. The evacuation of passengers on Mein Schiff 5 is not yet complete, and further flights are scheduled for 10 and 11 March.

However, the German authorities have announced assistance: on Monday afternoon (2 March), Foreign Minister Wadephul announced that evacuation flights would be organised for “vulnerable” persons from Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Muscat (Oman). The first planes carrying holidaymakers landed at Munich Airport on Tuesday evening (3 March). Several other European countries have also begun to carry out evacuation flights, mainly from Muscat and Abu Dhabi. A co-payment is required for evacuation flights; this amounted to €500 recently. Further details will be communicated accordingly.

Outlook

The war between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other is most certainly not over yet. However, the impact on airspace closures and air traffic can change quickly. The last few days have shown that such developments can happen rapidly.

For tour operators, shipping companies and destinations, this means:

Decisions made under time pressure, based on reliable information and clear communication.

A3M Global Monitoring provides the basis for this. In addition to current entry requirements, we provide continuously verified information on global travel and security developments. Those responsible remain capable of acting, can assess risks in an informed manner and communicate transparently with customers and partners.

In times of geopolitical tension, information sovereignty is not an option, but a prerequisite for responsible action.