From Tokyo: There is a particular cruelty to being stuck at an airport when the war is not yours, when you booked a holiday months ago and the geopolitics of a region you were merely passing through have rewritten your plans without warning. That is the reality facing thousands of Australians this weekend, as joint United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran triggered one of the most severe collapses of commercial aviation the Middle East has ever seen.
Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were among the nations that announced at least partial closures of their airspace, forcing flight suspensions, cancellations and diversions that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded around the world. For Australians, the consequences have been immediate and severe. The conflict led to the closure of key hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, and the cancellation of more than 1,800 flights by major Middle Eastern airlines, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.
9News reports that at least 1,200 flights were cancelled out of Dubai International Airport, a critical transit point for Australians flying to Europe. Five flights in and out of Sydney bound for Dubai or Qatar were cancelled, along with seven from Melbourne, three each from Adelaide, and one from Perth. The numbers, airlines cautioned, were expected to shift through the day as more services were either cancelled or deferred.
In retaliation to the strikes by the US and Israel, Iran launched a series of attacks on Israel and Gulf nations that host US military bases, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. The consequences for civilian infrastructure were direct. Two airports in the UAE reported incidents as the government there condemned what it called a "blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles" on Saturday. Officials at Dubai International Airport said four people were injured, while Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi said that one person was killed and seven others were injured in a drone strike.
The scale of disruption stretches well beyond the Gulf. Airport authorities in the resort island of Bali in Indonesia said more than 1,600 tourists were stranded at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Sunday after five flights to the Middle East were cancelled or postponed. FlightRadar24's live map showed the main east-west air corridor over Iraq, typically one of the busiest aviation routes linking Asia and Europe, almost completely empty. That corridor is not an abstraction for Australian travellers: it is the highway most long-haul routes to Europe and parts of Africa use.
The federal government moved quickly to update Australians. On 1 March 2026, Smartraveller changed its advice for a number of destinations in the region, advising a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" for Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and Iran, and issuing heightened warnings for the broader region due to ongoing armed confrontations, missile exchanges, and regional instability. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said its priority was the safety of citizens, noting that many Australians in the Middle East were unable to leave due to airspace and road closures, and that plans could be disrupted even for those not travelling through the region.
Then comes the question that will sting for those stuck in hotels in Dubai or pacing terminals in Doha: will insurance cover any of this? The short answer, for most Australians, is no. Travel insurance policies typically include general exclusions for nuclear, war and known circumstances, such as the increase from a DFAT Level 3 to Level 4 advisory, even if the advisory was issued after the policy was purchased. There is a trap many travellers miss: a Dubai or Doha layover, even a two-hour transit, can void coverage for an entire trip. Travellers do not need to be heading to the Middle East to be caught by this. They just need to be transiting through it.
The situation raises legitimate questions about what support Australian consumers can reasonably expect. If an airline cancels a flight, travellers may be entitled to a refund or rebooking under conditions of carriage or Australian Consumer Law. However, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission notes that when government-imposed airspace closures prevent an airline from operating, consumer guarantee rights may be limited. Some carriers, as PBS News reports, issued waivers to affected travellers allowing them to rebook without paying extra fees or higher fares, but the voluntary nature of such waivers leaves the outcome dependent on individual airline goodwill rather than enforceable rights.
For those arguing that governments and airlines bear responsibility for clearer guidance, the frustration is understandable. Hundreds of thousands of stranded travellers scrambled to make new connections and get through to airlines on jammed phone lines on Sunday. Tourists and business travellers crowded hotels and airports, with no word on when many airports would reopen or when flights to and through the Middle East would resume. The primary source reporting from the Sydney Morning Herald noted airlines were advising passengers to act only if travelling within the next 72 hours, even as US President Donald Trump suggested the strikes on Iran could continue for a week.
Aviation experts suggest partial relief may come sooner than the worst-case scenarios imply. Mike McCormick, a former head of air traffic control for the US Federal Aviation Administration and now a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said countries may be able to reopen parts of their airspace once American and Israeli officials share with airlines where military flights are operating and how capable Iran remains at firing missiles. "Those countries then will be able to go through and say, okay, we can reopen this portion of our space but we'll keep this portion of our airspace closed," McCormick said. For comparison, the Israeli and US attack on Iran in June 2025 lasted 12 days, a sobering benchmark for anyone hoping this disruption resolves within hours.
The three major Gulf carriers, Emirates and Etihad cancelled 38% and 30% of their flights respectively on Saturday, while Qatar Airways suspended all flights from Doha, with 41% of all flights cancelled, according to Cirium. The three airlines typically have about 90,000 passengers per day crossing through those hubs, and even more travellers headed to destinations in the Middle East. The scale of what that means in human terms is enormous.
For Australians still at home with upcoming bookings, the practical calculus is worth considering carefully. Travellers booking new itineraries should consider refundable fares and routes that avoid the Gulf entirely. The Smartraveller Middle East conflict page is being updated regularly, and travellers with connections through the region should check it before making any decisions. Those already overseas and affected are urged to contact their airline first, then their insurer, and to read their Product Disclosure Statement before lodging any claim.
The broader strategic significance of this crisis is not lost on Australia's policymakers. Dubai and Doha are not just tourist destinations for Australians; they are the connective tissue of the country's long-haul aviation network, the pivot points through which millions of travellers reach Europe, the UK, and Africa each year. A protracted closure does not merely inconvenience holidaymakers. It disrupts business travel, freight logistics, and the movement of Australians across the Indo-Pacific. Aircraft that normally use Iranian or Gulf airspace have to take longer paths, increasing fuel costs and journey times, a situation that could persist until the conflict de-escalates.
Reasonable people will disagree about the geopolitical wisdom of the strikes themselves. What is clear is that ordinary Australians, through no fault of their own, are now absorbing costs the policy framework was never designed to cover. The government's immediate job is consular support and accurate information. The longer-term challenge, when this crisis eventually subsides, will be a frank conversation about whether Australian consumer protections and insurance frameworks are genuinely fit for an era in which distant conflicts can close the skies without notice. For now, the best advice remains the most mundane: check the Smartraveller website, call your airline, and read the fine print of your policy before you assume someone else will pick up the bill.
Australians needing emergency consular assistance can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 from within Australia, or +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas.