Joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran at the weekend, followed by a subsequent retaliation from Tehran, has led to widespread disruption on air travel this week. The strikes took place in the early hours of Saturday (February 28) morning in what the US and Israel described as a “pre-emptive” strike against a Tehran government intent on developing nuclear weapons. The attack then prompted retaliation from Iran, with missiles reported to have targeted Israel and countries across the Middle East.

Subsequent airspace closures in the Middle East have created widespread disruption for airlines, affecting hundreds of thousands of airline passengers globally. According to analytics company Cirium, 1,555 out of 5,340 flights scheduled to operate to the Middle East on Monday were cancelled, including 735 to the UAE and 255 to Qatar.

Several Middle Eastern airports act as hubs for passengers travelling between Europe and the continents of Asia and Australia, and around half a million passengers use airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi every day.

Major airlines including British Airways, Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic, among others, have been forced to cancel some flights between the UK and the Middle East over the last few days.

But what are your rights if your flight is delayed or cancelled due to the ongoing conflict? Under UK law, if your flight is delayed or cancelled you have the right to assistance but you may not be entitled to compensation if the reason is due to an ‘extraordinary circumstance’.

Extraordinary circumstances can include things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control strikes, political or civil unrest, security threats, and Foreign Office travel bans, so compensation would not be owed in this case as any delays or cancellations are outside of the airline’s control.

The Department for Transport explains: “If your flight arrives at your final destination more than 3 hours late, and the delay has been caused by the airline, you are entitled to compensation. The amount you are entitled to depends on the length of the flight and is detailed in the full guide.

“Compensation is not due if the delay is due to circumstances outside of the airline’s control. Examples of extraordinary circumstances include suspension of flights due to bad weather, natural disasters, delays due to air traffic control decisions, birds striking an aircraft or political instability.

“If your flight is cancelled by the airline, you are entitled to a choice between:

• a refund, paid within 7 days, and a return flight to the first point of departure at the earliest opportunity (where applicable) or
• to be re-routed under comparable conditions

“If your flight was cancelled within 14 days of your scheduled departure time, you may also be entitled to compensation. This depends on the amount of notice you were given of the cancellation, and the options available for an alternative flight.

“Compensation is not due if the cancellation is due to circumstances outside of the airline’s control, such as bad weather, natural disasters, delays due to air traffic control decisions, birds striking an aircraft or political instability.”

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The UK Foreign Office is currently advising against all but essential travel to parts of the Middle East, including Israel, Palestine, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Bahrain.

British nationals are advised to “immediately shelter in place” and register their presence with the UK government to receive updates on the situation in the Middle East.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper indicated that 102,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the region and a total of about 300,000 British citizens are in Gulf countries targeted by Iran.

A handful of flights will bring British nationals stranded in the Middle East back to the UK on Tuesday, but the majority of departures from the region remain cancelled.