Want to Understand Russia? Visit Dubai. – The New York Times
How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.
Diverging Reports Breakdown
Will the Iran-Israel Conflict Impact Your Flight? Here’s What to Know
Several Gulf nations, including the UAE and Qatar, temporarily closed their airspace on Monday. Both nations have since reopened their airspace, but many airlines continue to advise customers to prepare for potential disruptions. If your flight is diverted to a different airport due to geopolitical risk, airlines will typically provide passengers with accommodations, meals, and new flight options or a refund. For what US airlines are required to provide to passengers during substantial flight changes and delays, check the Department of Transportation’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard. If you’re considering canceling or rerouting your flight due to regional tensions in the Middle East, be rest assured that airlines do a lot of work behind the scenes to determine whether or not a flight route is safe. For more information on flight compensation and rebooking policies, check out the US Airline Passenger Compensation Program.
Several Gulf nations, including the UAE and Qatar, temporarily closed their airspace on Monday, causing a ripple effect of flight delays and stranding passengers in Doha and Dubai airports. Both nations have since reopened their airspace, but many airlines continue to advise customers to prepare for potential disruptions over the next few days.
“The Gulf region, and air carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways, and to a lesser extent Etihad and even Gulf Air, are major carriers of long haul connecting traffic across the global because of their unique geography and route networks,” explains aviation expert and Condé Nast Traveler travel specialist Gary Leff. “From ‘visiting friends and relatives’ passengers in the US heading to India and Pakistan, to connecting Europe and Australia, as well as providing a significant amount of global lift out of Africa, closing of airspace around major Mideast hubs will have a significant disruptive effect on passengers movements as well as cargo all over the globe.”
Here’s what to know if you’re flying to, from, through, or over Middle Eastern airspace amid ongoing tensions in the region, including the flight compensation and rebooking policies being offered by major US and international airlines.
This is a developing news story and will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
Should I cancel my flight?
If you’re considering canceling or rerouting your flight due to regional tensions in the Middle East, be rest assured that airlines do a lot of work behind the scenes to determine whether or not a flight route is safe.
Airlines are constantly in touch with governments, regulators, and insurance companies to evaluate risk levels, Leff explains. “They’re in a better position to evaluate risk in a place they fly to on the other side of the world than most passengers are—so you may want to defer to them,” he says. “That said, no trip is risk-free. Commercial aircraft have been shot down—Iran shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in 2020, and Russia shot down MH17 in 2014.”
What happens if my flight is diverted?
If your flight is diverted to a different airport due to geopolitical risk, airlines will typically provide passengers with accommodations, meals, and new flight options or a refund. You can check your airline’s contract of carriage for specific details. For what US airlines are required to provide to passengers during substantial flight changes and delays, check the Department of Transportation’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard.
In the case of a flight diversion, “European carriers and other flights where EU261 applies still must offer basic ‘assistance’ rights (meals, hotel, rerouting, or refund),” Leff says. “US airlines generally honor these things even without an EU261. The Montreal Convention also applies.”
How are airlines responding?
Qatar Airways
Following the closure of Qatar’s airspace on Monday, Doha-based Qatar Airways temporarily suspended all flights and is now working to resume normal operations. The airline has warned passengers of “significant delays” on Tuesday and possible disruptions through June 26.
“Those who wish to change their travel dates may do so without paying a fee until July 15, 2025,” the airline said in a travel alert. “Customers who no longer wish to travel can opt to receive a refund of the unused value of their tickets, without any cancellation fee being applied.”
Emirates
“After a thorough and careful risk assessment, Emirates will continue to operate flights as scheduled, using flight paths well distanced from conflict areas,” Emirates said in a June 23 travel alert. “Some flights may incur delays due to longer re‑routings or airspace congestion, but Emirates’ teams are working hard to keep to schedule and minimize any disruption or inconvenience to our customers.”
Want to Understand Russia? Visit Dubai.
Iosif Prigozhin and his wife, the pop star known as Valeriya, “know everyone,” he says. That includes the “generals and criminals” who once harmoniously shared a table at a concert of hers.
He and his wife, the pop star known as Valeriya, “know everyone,” he told me. That includes the “generals and criminals” who once harmoniously shared a table at a concert of hers in Crimea.
“That’s Russia, my friend,” Mr. Prighozin said.
We were tucking into chicken and sea bass on the 25th floor of the skyscraper-resort in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where Mr. Prighozin and Valeriya own two apartments. There was a three-story “longevity hub” somewhere above us and a “global street food” spot through a tunnel of faux graffiti somewhere below us. Later, on the pool deck, suspended between two skyscrapers and 300 feet above vast roads and malls and building sites, Valeriya lip-synced for Instagram.