Airlines reroute, cancel flights in Middle East as tensions ramp up over Iran

This story was updated on Monday, January 26, 2026 at 8:02 a.m. EST

As tensions between the United States and Iran rise, some airlines have been changing their routes or cancelling flights that normally fly across the Middle East.

Last Thursday (Jan. 22), U.S. President Donald Trump said an “armada” was moving toward Iran, adding that he hoped it would not be used, while renewing warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or resuming its nuclear program.

The moves come amid mounting speculation that Trump could order strikes on Iran following its crackdown on anti-government protesters.

A senior Iranian official said Friday that Iran will treat any attack "as an all-out war against us", ahead of the arrival of U.S. military, according to Reuters.

On January 16, the European Union’s aviation authority advised airlines to avoid flying over Iran amid rising tensions caused by Tehran’s deadly suppression of protests and threats of U.S. involvement.

Airlines press pause

KLM will avoid flying over large parts of the Middle East until further notice as a result of the geopolitical situation.

The Dutch carrier says it will not fly through the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Israel and will not fly over several countries in the Gulf region.

Air France resumed its service to Dubai on January 24 after suspending it one day before, saying it was following the situation in the Middle East closely.

On January 14, Lufthansa announced it would avoid flying over Iran and Iraq until further notice, and would limit flights to Tel Aviv and Amman to daytime operations between January 14 and 19.

The airline also warned that some flights might be cancelled due to these changes.

British Airways also temporarily suspended flights to Bahrain on January 16 as a precautionary measure, saying it "continue(d) to keep the situation in the region under close review".

Flights to Bahrain were reactivated on the BA website on January 24 and it appears all flights are going ahead as scheduled.

Air Canada confirmed with PAX late Friday night (Jan. 23) that it has not cancelled its flights to the Middle East.

Canada's flag carrier resumed daily, non-stop flights from Toronto to Tel Aviv in October 2025 after a five-month suspension.

The service was supposed to restart in September, but was pushed back due to “ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the region.”

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