While some international carriers have resumed limited service into Middle Eastern cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Tel Aviv, the security and financial risks amid a prolonged conflict following the U.S. strike on Iran have pushed most to take the more cautious route.
United Airlines recently pushed back the restart of its flight from Newark Liberty (EWR) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) from February until March 2027.
American Airlines also recently confirmed that it will not restart its route to Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha until 2027 at the earliest.
United Kingdom flag carrier British Airways once ran an extensive Middle Eastern network of flights to cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Amman, Manama and Tel Aviv from London.
British Airways permanently axes London-Abu Dhabi flight
After repeatedly pushing back the restart date throughout 2026 over the security situation in the region, preliminary reporting suggests that British Airways is permanently pulling the plug on its route between London Heathrow (LHR) and Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH).
The national airline is yet to formally confirm the cancelation but Cirium schedule data first reported by Simple Flying shows that six weekly flights to Abu Dhabi on Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 planes that were initially slated as resuming in February 2027 have been scrapped from the carrier’s flying schedule.
Flights to the other Middle Eastern cities are still slated to resume on a rolling schedule in late 2026 and 2027; in line with other major airlines, British Airways service to Tel Aviv is scheduled to restart next in October 2026 while the flight to Doha from London has been running daily since the start of September.
“Due to ongoing uncertainty and airspace restrictions, some of our flights in the region have been cancelled or temporarily suspended, including services to and from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh,” British Airways says in a statement that has been in place since March 2026.
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Why is British Airways canceling its Abu Dhabi flight
British Airways restarted its daily nonstop service to Abu Dhabi in April 2024 after a four-year hiatus prompted by the covid-19 pandemic.
While the airline has served the city in different forms since the 1970s (the first flights flew to the city on BOAC VC10 jet airliners), Abu Dhabi sees significantly less traffic from London and other international destinations than Dubai.
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With the British Airways exit from this market, United Arab Emirates flag carrier Etihad Airways will be the only airline linking London with Abu Dhabi four times a week on Airbus A380 and A350 aircraft. Along with fellow state-owned carrier Emirates, the airline has been the main and most reliable link into and out of the country at a time when many international carriers have canceled service.
Etihad also flies to Abu Dhabi from Manchester Airport (MAN) in northwestern England four times a week on a Boeing 777-300ER.
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