As a result of ongoing conflict and regional tensions across the Middle East, many of the world’s largest airlines are continuously updating their travel advice – much of which is reflected in Condé Nast Traveller’s UK travel advice hub.
The threat of missile and drone strikes is ongoing at the time of writing, Friday 20 March, and the closure of much of the Middle East’s airspace has resulted in countless flights being affected.
Founded in the Queensland outback in 1920, Qantas is now Australia‘s largest domestic and international airline. The airline is generally recognised as the first to introduce business class travel as we know it and, in 2025, more than 56 million passengers travelled on Qantas and associated Jetstar flights.
As a result of the conflict, Qantas has made several changes to its policies and schedule and continues to keep passengers up to date via its website.
One of the most important developments is a significant change to its direct flights between London and Perth. Due to required adjustments to flight paths, these flights are currently operating via Singapore for a fuel stop. Otherwise, there are no other impacts to Qantas-operated flights to date.
In a statement still live and current as of Friday 20 March, the airline states, “The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority, and where necessary we may adjust our flight paths accordingly. If your Qantas-operated flight is affected, we will contact you as soon as possible using the phone number and email address provided in your booking.”
While a majority of Qantas flights are operating unaffected, the airline continues to offer additional flexibility for customers who have booked flights to/from or via the UAE, Qatar, Israel, Jordan, Oman and Bahrain through Qantas on partner airlines.
Travellers with upcoming journeys who wish to change or cancel their bookings can access a fee-free refund, fee-free flight credit or a fee-free date change for flights booked on or before 6 March 2026 for travel between 28 February and 15 April 2026 (when rebooking to travel on or before 31 May 2026, subject to availability).
It’s important to note that fare differences may apply, and fee-free changes and cancellations are only available when you call Qantas – they are not available via the Manage Booking portal or the Qantas app.
