British Airways halts flights to Dubai and Doha
British Airways has paused flights to Dubai and Doha in light of escalating conflict in the region.
It is one of several airlines worldwide that have suspended flights to the Middle East.
The UK carrier said in a statement to The National:"All flights to Dubai and Doha scheduled to depart LHR [London Heathrow Airport] on June 22 and their subsequent return flights have been cancelled. Our teams continue to keep the situation under review."
Hostilities continue in the region, with the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities in the early hours of June 22 and Israel's ongoing strikes on Gaza, as well as Israel and Iran trading attacks.
"As a result of recent events, we have adjusted our flight schedule to ensure the safety of our customers and crew," the BA statement read.
For passengers already booked on to affected flights, BA said it was working to reach all those affected. "We are contacting our customers to advise them of their options while we work through this developing situation."
Passengers, it continued, will be offered a "flexible booking policy" regarding changing their dates of travel. "Those due to travel between now and June 24 can rebook on to a later flight up to and including July 6, free of charge, by contacting us by phone."
On Sunday morning, a BA flight carrying 206 passengers from Chennai to London changed course less than an hour into its journey, after the US strikes on Iran.
Elsewhere, Flightradar24 reported a second BA flight, which took off on Saturday evening, was rerouted to Zurich, Switzerland, while over Saudi Arabia.
The airline has also halted all flights to Bahrain until the end of this month. It said the move to suspend the flights was made to 'ensure the safety of customers and crew' amid a rapidly changing and volatile scenario."
Air Canada and United Airlines have also cancelled flights to Dubai, while American Airlines has paused flights to Doha.
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