If you've been waiting to fly British Airways into Abu Dhabi, settle in: the airline says direct London–Abu Dhabi flights won't return until the winter of 2027, the last of its Middle East routes to come back after months of regional disruption.
The context matters. Air traffic across the Middle East has been badly shaken since 28 February 2026, when the US–Israel attack on Iran triggered repeated airspace closures across the region. Gulf airports are open and handling flights again, and local carriers like Etihad and Qatar Airways never really stopped. But the big international airlines have been far more cautious, pushing their comeback dates back several times — and British Airways is a case in point.
The airline's staggered return starts in Doha, which resumed on 2 September 2026 with one daily flight. Tel Aviv follows on 25 October 2026, also daily from London. On 3 November 2026, both Dubai and Riyadh come back with a single daily flight each, though Dubai is slated to grow to two daily services by summer 2027. Amman returns on 4 November 2026 with four weekly flights. Then there's a long wait: Bahrain should resume around the end of March 2027, and Abu Dhabi not until the end of 2027. In a statement to Metro UK, BA pointed to the conflict and ongoing 'airspace instability' as the reason for the delays.
Safety remains a genuine concern rather than just a scheduling issue. Israeli airstrikes in Syria are still considered likely, and several countries continue to ban or discourage their airlines from entering parts of the region's airspace. Aviation trackers have noted the Middle East topping Flightradar24's most-tracked list as flare-ups continue. Anyone planning to fly through the region can check current risk assessments at safeairspace.net.
If Abu Dhabi is your destination, you have workarounds. Etihad still flies direct from London Heathrow, which is by far the simplest option. Loyal to BA? You can fly with them to Doha and connect onto Qatar Airways to Abu Dhabi — but budget around 11 hours total, which is a big detour for a direct hop that normally takes under seven.
There's also some financial good news: if you booked a BA ticket to or from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Tel Aviv or Riyadh for travel up to and including 31 October 2026, you can request a full refund — even on flights still scheduled to operate. Worth acting on if your plans have changed or the uncertainty puts you off.
The takeaway for travellers: the Gulf is open for business, but the pace of recovery depends heavily on which airline you book with. Local and regional carriers are running near-normal schedules, while European and North American airlines are easing back in slowly. If your dates are fixed, book the airline that's actually flying; if you have flexibility, expect the full BA network to look familiar again only well into 2027.
