Flights to Middle East resume slowly as some airlines hold off

Dhaka: Several international carriers are gradually restoring flights to parts of the Middle East following the conflict triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran, though a number of airlines continue to keep their services suspended.

Greece's Aegean Airlines has called off its Dubai flights through August 31, while Erbil and Baghdad services remain suspended until September 30.

Latvia's Airbaltic has extended its Dubai suspension until October 24, a date matched by Air Canada, which has grounded its Tel Aviv and Dubai routes.

Within the Air France-KLM group, Air France has paused Beirut flights until August 2, while KLM has suspended Riyadh, Dammam, and Dubai services through August 23.

British Airways has pushed back its Doha comeback to August 1 and Riyadh to August 8. Its Dubai, Tel Aviv, Bahrain, and Amman flights stay grounded until the end of the summer season, returning October 25. The carrier also plans to trim frequencies on several routes and drop Jeddah altogether.

Cathay Pacific intends to resume Dubai and Riyadh flights from September 1, while Delta has suspended its Atlanta-Tel Aviv route through December 18. Delta's New York JFK to Tel Aviv service is set to restart September 6, though its new Boston-Tel Aviv route has been delayed indefinitely.

Finnair has cancelled Doha flights until October 2 and continues avoiding the airspace of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Israel, with its seasonal Dubai service planned for October.

Japan Airlines has suspended its Tokyo-Doha and Doha-Tokyo flights until August 31 and September 1, respectively.

Poland's LOT plans to launch its winter Dubai route in October and resume Beirut flights only in its summer 2027 schedule.

Within the Lufthansa Group, Swiss has delayed its Tel Aviv comeback to August, while Brussels Airlines will remain suspended until October 24. Lufthansa and Swiss have also extended their Dubai suspension to September 13.

Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines have jointly paused flights to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Beirut, Dammam, Riyadh, Erbil, Muscat, and Tehran until October 24.

Budget carrier Eurowings, after restoring Erbil, Beirut, and Tel Aviv routes, expects to bring back its remaining Middle East destinations in the fall.

Italy's ITA Airways, another Lufthansa Group member, has likewise extended its Riyadh suspension until July 31 and Dubai until October 24, citing operational reasons.

Norwegian Air has indefinitely delayed the planned launches of its Tel Aviv and Beirut services, with no new timeline announced.

Singapore Airlines has pushed its Singapore-Dubai suspension to October 24, while boosting capacity on its Singapore-London Gatwick and Singapore-Melbourne routes from late March through the same date to meet higher demand.

Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has suspended flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman from its mainland European bases until mid-September.