As the war in the Middle East continues, Australians are facing major travel disruptions through key Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.

Jet fuel prices have also doubled since the conflict began on February 28, adding to the strain on airlines.

The outbreak of war between Iran, the United States and Israel have led to more than 60,000 flights to and from the Middle East to be cancelled, affecting an estimated 6 million people directly.

According to travel news outlet AFAR, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airways account for nearly 57 per cent of passenger traffic between Europe and Australasia.

According to the International Air Transport Association, 277 million people flew through the region in 2025.

Aviation expert and editor of website 42kft.com Geoffrey Thomas says the situation is extremely volatile at the moment, and the risk of flying is reflected in the pricing currently.

“Any airline that avoids a stop in the Middle East, those flights are really heavily booked at the moment. In fact many flights you can’t get a seat, and the fares reflect that,” he says.

“So when this is over, I expect that Qatar, Etihad, and Emirates will put in some very attractive pricing into the market, and they will bring back all of their patronage very quickly.

“Particularly when it comes to Europe, they fly to so many destinations in Europe and so they give travellers the best travel options into Europe by a long way.”

Mr Thomas says there are defensive strategies already in place and flights are going in and out of the UAE all the time.

“Australia has deployed a couple of early warning radar aircrafts to the UAE to help them with tracking any missiles or drones, the Ukrainians are also helping the UAE, and they’re helping them with not only personnel but equipment,” he says.

Mr Thomas says these changes should be temporary and will not change the long term dynamics of those countries and those airlines.

Eleanor Boyle says she is planning to travel to the UK in July for her sister’s wedding, and says she’s already booked flights through the Middle East.

“They have their wedding planned in July and we’re supposed to fly through Dubai to get there so we’re not sure if our flight is going to be cancelled and we can’t cancel ahead of time because we might lose our money, might have to wait for the airline which could be really last minute,” she says.

“Most travel insurance doesn’t cover wars, you just have to wait for the airline to cancel and refund you, but that could be really close to the day you’re supposed to travel so it’s very uncertain.”

Ms Boyle says her sister has faced many issues, including being stuck in Dubai before making it back to Perth.

“She was supposed to come to Perth, and they weren’t sure if they were going to be able to leave Dubai, and they were getting increasingly anxious with the amount of missiles being shot down outside their apartment,” she says.

“My sister was supposed to have her formal wedding ceremony in Abu Dhabi but now they don’t feel like it’s safe to go back so they’re waiting in Bali for time to go past.”

With one-stop itineraries through the Gulf unavailable, airlines are pushing more traffic through alternative pathways such as Tokyo and Singapore.

Jade Richardson says she had replan her trip and purchase more expensive flights through Singapore, to avoid any disruptions through the Middle East.

“I had a trip booked to Europe, stopping through Dubai, then everything happened causing my flights to be cancelled so I ended up booking a flight with a stopover in Singapore

“The flight ended up being way more than I ever anticipated and that mixed with the rising fuel prices has really hit me hard,” she says.