Middle East Airspace Disruption: What it means for your trip. (19 March 2026)

Last updated: 19th March 2026, 12:00 GMT

What is happening with Middle East Airspace?

Ongoing instability in parts of the Middle East may affect some international flight routes.

Many flights to Asia, Africa and other long-haul destinations transit through Middle Eastern hubs. Because of this, airspace restrictions may lead to:

Flight cancellations
Delays
Rerouting via different hubs
Last-minute schedule changes

Even if your final destination is not in the Middle East, your flight could still be affected. You should consider this carefully.

Destinations unaffected:

Most of our trips operate in regions far from the Middle East conflict zone and are running exactly as planned. Examples include many of our most popular destinations such as:

• Italy
• Morocco
• France
• Norway
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Greece
• Portugal
• Albania
• Montenegro
• Slovenia
• United Kingdom
• Iceland
• Slovakia
• United States
• Costa Rica
• Peru

Destinations with possible flight disruption:

Some destinations may experience longer, rerouted or cancelled flights due to airspace restrictions across parts of the Middle East. This does not usually affect the destination itself, but it may affect how airlines route flights. In some cases, last- minute cancellations should be expected.

Examples include:
• Nepal
• India
• Kyrgyzstan
• Tajikistan
• Uzbekistan
• Sri Lanka
• Maldives
• Kenya
• Tanzania
• Rwanda
• Georgia

In many cases airlines are simply:

• avoiding restricted airspace
• routing flights via Europe or Turkey instead of Gulf hubs
• taking slightly longer flight paths

Flexible Booking and Support

We know plans can change, especially during periods of travel uncertainty. Most of our trips offer free cancellation (for full credit) or free date changes up to 65 days before departure. You can secure your place with a deposit and pay the rest in instalments.

What You Should Do

Airlines are responsible for managing flight disruption, delays or cancellations (and in the UK and EU they have clearly defined legal obligations to the customer).

At the time of writing, most airlines are only making decisions whether or not they will operate flights on a day by day basis, and may not offer any flexibility (if any) unless your flight is in the next day or two. As unsettling as the situation may feel, we recommend waiting for guidance from your airline before making any changes to your booking with us.

If you have a flight that transits via the Middle East

Check your airline’s updates regularly (app, website, email).
Make sure your contact details are up to date with your airline.

If your flight is cancelled or disrupted

Contact your airline to arrange rebooking.
Once you have a new flight, please let your host know about any changes via your booking.
If you are struggling to find a reasonable alternative flight option, our Customer Experience team will work with you to discuss your options.

We are always on hand if you have questions about your booking or travel plans.

If you were due to fly with a UK or EU airline, or from a UK or EU airport, your airline is legally required to offer you either:

An alternative flight, or
A refund.

You can ask to be rebooked onto another airline if they can get you to your destination significantly sooner.

If You Cannot Join Your MBA Trip or Arrive Late

If your arrival plans change or you are unable to travel, please:

Contact your local host (via your booking or the contact details shared in your pre-departure email) and let them know.
Contact our Customer Experience team ASAP so that we can assist you/our host. We are working with each customer on a case by case basis to ensure that we are supporting you in the best way possible.

If Your Return Flight is Cancelled/Delayed

If your return flight is cancelled or delayed after the trip has finished:

Your airline is responsible for rebooking you or offering a refund.
Depending on the circumstances and applicable regulations (such as UK/EU passenger rights), your airline may also need to provide meals or accommodation while you wait.
Alternatively, you may need to book and pay for extra accommodation, meals, and services yourself and later try to seek reimbursement from your airline or your travel insurance provider. Ensure that you keep all receipts for this purpose.
Your local host may be able to offer help and support with making additional arrangements, but you will need to pay for these yourself directly.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is mandatory for all international Much Better Adventures trips and may help cover certain costs caused by travel disruption, depending on your policy. However, please note that many travel insurance policies exclude disruption caused by war, conflict or airspace closures related to conflict, so coverage will vary between providers.

You should check your policy wording to see whether you are covered for things such as:

Missed Departure - if you miss your trip start due to flight delay/airport closure/transport disruption
Trip Cancellation - if you are unable to travel at all
Trip Curtailment - if you have to cut your trip short after it has started
Travel Delay - if your flight is delayed beyond a certain number of hours
Additional Accommodation & Expenses - relating to a cancelled return flight
Travel Disruption / Force Majeure - some policies may provide cover for disruption caused by airspace closure, conflict, political unrest, natural disasters, airport closure and so on

If you need documentation to support a claim, we can provide you with a cancellation notice to support any reimbursement claims you wish to make with your travel insurance provider or your airline.

Our customer service team are also always here to help: you can contact them on support@muchbetteradventures.com.