On Saturday 28 February, the United States and Israel launched wide-ranging attacks on Iran, during which the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed. Retaliation has followed, and, as of the time of writing, Tuesday 17 March, the ongoing conflict has resulted in widespread complications for international travellers. Iran has carried out attacks targeting US military facilities across the Middle East, with the UK’s RAF Akrotiri base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus also hit by a drone.
Due to missile and drone interceptions, the airspace across the Middle East has been affected in the weeks following the conflict’s initiation, with flight-tracking apps showing commercial airlines that haven’t cancelled flights diverting around the airspace of many countries in the region.
From the UK travel warnings you need to be aware of today to the latest situation around flight cancellations across the Middle East, these are the latest stories to be aware of.
UK Travel Warnings Today
When the risk to British nationals in a country is deemed as very high, the UK’s FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) can advise against travel entirely. Such decisions are flagged on the country in question’s designated FCDO travel advice page and, in most cases, accompanied by a map highlighting the country in red. Travelling to such countries against the UK government’s advice may result in travel insurance policies being invalidated and minimal to no assistance should issues arise. You can keep up to date with all the latest developments in our guide to the places the Foreign Office advises against travel to.
As of Wednesday 19 March, all travel is advised against to 14 countries. These are:
- Afghanistan
- Belarus
- Burkina Faso
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Mali
- Niger
- Palestine
- Russia
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
The British government advises against all travel in exceptional circumstances, including, but not limited to, armed conflict, military coups, civil unrest, disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and terrorist threats, if the danger is deemed extreme or imminent.
Easter Holidays Travel Advice
As the Easter bank holidays approach in the UK, many people are concerned about planned travels. Most European destinations remain safe to travel to (but always check the latest government advice before you travel anywhere), but there are a few specific destinations where there might be “heightened risk of regional tension”. In Turkey, the government advises against all travel within 10km of the Syrian border because of fighting and a higher risk of terrorism. Always check the FCDO website directly, and contact your airline before travelling.
