Middle East Warnings Reissued - What Cruisers Flying To Europe Need To Know

The Australian Government has re-issued security warnings for major Middle Eastern aviation hubs.
But the good news is the UAE and Qatar remain at Level 3, “Reconsider your need to travel”, rather than returning to the Level 4 “Do not travel” status.
However, Smartraveller.com.au maintains these warnings could change.

Australia has re-issued its warnings for travellers flying through the Middle East as renewed military strikes and reprisal attacks threaten to disrupt key transport hubs in the middle of the peak European cruise season.

Smartraveller issued new advice for the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday, July 12, warning that airspace could close at short notice and flights could be cancelled with little warning.

The advice follows renewed exchanges of fire involving the United States and Iran and attacks directed towards several Gulf states.

However, there is one important piece of qualified good news for the thousands of Australians booked to fly to Europe through Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. The government has not, at this stage, restored its highest Level 4 “Do not travel” warning for the UAE or Qatar.

Both countries remain at Level 3: “Reconsider your need to travel”.

That distinction matters for Australian cruise passengers, although it should not be interpreted as a guarantee that every traveller remains fully insured.

Level 3 warning includes airport transit

Smartraveller now warns Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the UAE “due to the unpredictable security situation in the UAE and the region”.

It says military strikes and reprisal attacks have occurred in several Middle Eastern locations, including attacks directed towards targets in the UAE.

“UAE airspace may open or close at short notice, impacting flights at Abu Dhabi and Dubai International Airports,” the updated advice says.

The warning for Qatar is similarly direct, noting that attacks have been directed towards targets in the country and that its airspace may open or close at short notice, affecting flights through Doha.

Importantly, the government says its Level 3 advice applies to passengers passing through airports.

“‘Reconsider your need to travel’ also means ‘reconsider your need to transit’,” Smartraveller says.

Travellers who must use a Level 3 transit point are advised to remain there for as short a time as possible and eliminate unnecessary activities.For most Australians connecting between international flights, that means remaining airside, avoiding an extended stopover and closely monitoring airline and airport alerts.

Are passengers still insured?

The current warning does not create the same blanket problem as the previous Level 4 “Do not travel” advice, but travellers should not assume that means every claim will be covered.

When the UAE and Qatar were at Level 4, many conventional policies would not cover passengers who knowingly travelled through a destination against the Australian Government’s highest-level warning.

The downgrade to Level 3 in June removed that immediate barrier for some policies and prompted a rush of renewed bookings, as Cruise Passenger reported at the time.

However, Level 3 is still a serious warning. Some insurers may restrict cover for destinations under a “Reconsider your need to travel” advisory, while most policies contain exclusions relating to war, armed conflict and military action.

The Insurance Council of Australia says most travel insurance policies exclude claims caused by war, armed conflict or military action and that every claim is assessed individually.

That means passengers should contact their insurer and ask for written confirmation that their policy covers:

Transit through Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha while Level 3 advice applies
Medical treatment during the transit
Missed connections and additional accommodation
Flight cancellation or diversion caused by airspace closures
The cost of catching up with a cruise if the original flight is disrupted
Any exclusion relating to war, military action or a known event

Travellers who bought insurance after the latest escalation may also face “known event” exclusions.

Cruise passengers face a painful choice

The renewed warning comes at a bad time for Australians travelling to Europe. The Mediterranean and Northern European cruise seasons are in full swing, and many passengers have already paid tens of thousands of dollars for their flights, cruises, accommodation and tours.

For a conventional European holiday, a traveller might be able to delay arrival by a day or two. Cruise passengers do not have that flexibility. If they miss the ship’s departure, they may have to pay for new flights and hotels to catch it at another port — assuming the itinerary and local regulations make that possible.

Middle Eastern airlines are also too important to Australia’s European air network to replace easily.

Cirium analysis says Emirates alone carries more than 31 per cent of passengers travelling between Europe and Australasia. Qatar Airways and Etihad add substantially to the Gulf carriers’ share of available capacity.

Chinese and Southeast Asian airlines have tried to absorb some passengers seeking routes through Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and mainland China. But they cannot instantly replace the enormous number of seats offered through Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.

Alternative flights may also involve longer journeys, extra connections and sharply higher last-minute fares.

Cruise Passenger has spoken to numerous Australians who continued to fly through Middle Eastern hubs during earlier periods of heightened warnings. Many said they felt they had little practical choice: their cruises were sailing, their Gulf airline tickets remained valid and alternative flights would have cost thousands of dollars.

That dilemma has now returned.

What passengers should do now

Passengers should not cancel flights simply because a warning has changed. Voluntarily abandoning a journey while the airline remains operational may leave the traveller unable to obtain either an airline refund or an insurance payout.

Instead, passengers departing in the coming days should:

Check the Smartraveller advice for every destination and transit point.
Contact their airline to confirm that every flight remains scheduled.
Ask their insurer, in writing, whether Level 3 transit remains covered.
Allow additional time before the cruise, preferably arriving in Europe at least two days before departure.
Monitor Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha airport notices as well as airline apps.
Keep receipts and written records of all cancellations, delays and additional expenses.
Ask the cruise line or travel agent what assistance is available if delayed passengers must catch up with their ship.

Passengers should also remember that advice levels can be raised with little notice. A policy that responds while a destination is at Level 3 may operate differently if it returns to Level 4 before travel.

A reprieve cruise companies will be hoping lasts

The new Smartraveller advice stops short of telling Australians not to travel through the principal Gulf hubs.

For cruise passengers, that is an important reprieve. It avoids, for now, the sweeping Level 4 warning that previously placed travellers in an almost impossible position.

The planes can still fly and Europe’s cruise ships are still be sailing. The journey between them, however, is once again a little uncertain.

You can find the official advice here: