Your holiday and the Iran war: what UK travellers need to know
The short version: most holidays are unaffected. Here's the full picture – your rights, your costs, your options, and why there's more reason to travel than you might think.
Short on time? Let us summarise this guide for you.
The conflict that began on 28 February 2026 has disrupted travel across the Middle East, with tens of thousands of flights cancelled and Dubai airport severely affected in the early weeks. A fragile two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran was announced on 7 April, with peace talks held in Islamabad — though no deal was reached and the ceasefire is due to expire around 22 April. The situation remains fluid. For the vast majority of UK holidaymakers — those flying to Spain, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, and other European destinations — travel is operating normally. The FCDO advises against travel to Israel and Palestine, and against all but essential travel to the UAE, Qatar and other Gulf states, though Dubai airport is now operational and Emirates is flying at roughly 70% of its normal capacity. Travellers to Asia-Pacific destinations that ordinarily route via Gulf hubs may still face disruption to journey times and connections. UK law gives you strong protections: package holiday bookers can claim a full refund if FCDO advice changes, flight cancellations entitle you to a refund or rerouting regardless of cause, and ATOL protects you if your tour operator fails. For European short-haul travel, easyJet has hedged 70% of its summer fuel needs and Ryanair is similarly protected — though there is a developing concern about potential jet fuel supply shortages at European airports from mid-May if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. If you were booked to the Middle East, destinations like Albania, Montenegro, Malta and Portugal's Alentejo offer exceptional alternatives.
What you'll find in this guide:
What's actually happening – and what isn't
On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the wider Middle East region. Iranian strikes hit targets in Gulf states including the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Dubai International Airport — one of the world's busiest — was severely disrupted and at times closed after drone damage, and airspace across much of the Middle East shut down almost immediately.
The disruption to aviation has been significant. Tens of thousands of flights were cancelled in the early weeks of the conflict, and over a million travellers worldwide found themselves stranded. The fighting has killed more than 4,000 people across the Middle East, overwhelmingly in Iran and Lebanon, where the conflict has widened into a separate 2026 Lebanon war involving Hezbollah and Israel.
A fragile two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran was announced on 7 April. Peace talks followed in Islamabad, Pakistan, but ended without a deal on 12 April. A second round of talks is being sought, with the ceasefire currently due to expire around 22 April. The situation remains genuinely uncertain — conditions could improve toward a lasting deal, or deteriorate if the ceasefire breaks down. Check this page, and the FCDO site, regularly.
But here is the crucial context: the conflict is geographically specific. The disruption is concentrated in Iran, Israel, the Gulf states and the airspace above them. Europe is entirely unaffected from a travel safety perspective. The sun is still shining on the Costa del Sol. The Acropolis is still open. The Algarve is still beautiful. If your holiday is in Europe — and the overwhelming majority of UK package holidays are — your trip is almost certainly going ahead exactly as planned.
The one important exception is long-haul travel to Asia, Australasia and the Indian Subcontinent, much of which ordinarily routes through Gulf hubs. Travellers heading to those destinations may face longer journey times, rerouting and connection uncertainty — even though their destination itself is not part of the conflict. See the note on Asia-Pacific travel below.
Is your destination affected? Quick-check guide
The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is the official source of travel advice. This is what it currently says for the destinations most popular with UK holidaymakers. Last updated: 17 April 2026. Check the live FCDO advice here.
Destination
FCDO Status
Holiday impact
Spain (inc. Canaries & Balearics)No advisoryFully operating. No disruption.
Greece (inc. islands)No advisoryFully operating. No disruption.
Portugal (inc. Algarve)No advisoryFully operating. No disruption.
ItalyNo advisoryFully operating. No disruption.
FranceNo advisoryFully operating. No disruption.
CyprusNo advisory for tourists; remain vigilantCivilian tourism unaffected. RAF Akrotiri was targeted in early March; tourists should follow local authority guidance.
TurkeyNo new advisoryFully operating. Travel not advised on Syrian border.
EgyptMonitor closelySome disruption to routes via Gulf. Check with your operator.
UAE / DubaiAgainst all but essential travelDubai airport is now open and Emirates is operating to around 125 destinations at roughly 70% of normal capacity. However, the FCDO still advises against all but essential travel and warns that further attacks could occur at short notice. British Airways and several other European carriers remain suspended. Do not travel unless essential.
Qatar / DohaAgainst all but essential travelSignificant disruption. Do not travel unless essential.
Israel & PalestineAdvise against all travelDo not travel. Full refund rights apply for package bookers.
IranAdvise against all travelDo not travel.
LebanonAdvise against all travelDo not travel. A separate Lebanon war involving Hezbollah and Israel is ongoing.
Important: This table reflects FCDO advice at the date above. Advice is changing rapidly — a ceasefire is in place but fragile, and conditions could shift quickly in either direction. Always check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice before you travel — and bookmark it now.
What about flights to Asia, Australasia and the Indian Subcontinent?
If you're travelling to destinations that ordinarily connect through Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, you may experience disruption even though those destinations are not in a conflict zone. The FCDO has noted potential travel disruption for the following countries whose flights commonly route via Middle East hubs: Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu and Vietnam.
If your holiday destination is on this list, your trip may still go ahead — but expect the possibility of rerouting, longer journey times, or connection changes. Check with your airline before travelling, and consider the alternative routing guidance in the checklist below.
Your rights if things go wrong
This is where the reassuring news really starts. UK law gives holidaymakers some of the strongest consumer protections in the world. Most people don't realise quite how well protected they are — so here's the plain-English version.
If you booked a package holiday
A package holiday — legally — is any booking that combines two or more travel services (flights, accommodation, car hire, tours) bought for one price from one provider. If that describes your booking, you have the most powerful protections available.
Under the Package Travel Regulations 2018, if the FCDO formally advises against travel to your destination before you depart, this almost certainly qualifies as what the law calls "unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances." That means you can cancel without paying any fees, and your operator must refund you in full — within 14 days. No vouchers. No credits. Cash back.
The golden rule: do not cancel before the FCDO advice changes. If you cancel early out of anxiety, you may lose your cancellation fee. Wait for official advice, then act.
If your flight is cancelled
Under UK261 — the UK's version of the EU's passenger rights law — if your airline cancels your flight for any reason (including war or airspace closure), you're legally entitled to either a full refund of your ticket or an alternative flight to your destination. Your money doesn't disappear. You won't get the additional cash compensation payment on top (war counts as an "extraordinary circumstance" that exempts airlines from that), but your ticket cost is safe.
If you're stuck at the airport
Regardless of why you're delayed, your airline must provide food and drinks while you wait, and — if you're delayed overnight — hotel accommodation and transport to it. Keep every receipt.
If your travel company collapses
Every UK package holiday that includes a flight must by law be ATOL-protected. Your ATOL certificate — which should be in your original booking confirmation — is your safety net. If your operator fails, the Civil Aviation Authority will either arrange for you to complete your holiday or issue a full refund. Check your confirmation now and keep it somewhere easy to find.
If you paid by credit card
Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act makes your credit card company jointly liable for any purchase between £100 and £30,000. If something goes wrong with a booking you made on a credit card, you have an additional route to a refund — even for independently booked flights and hotels that fall outside package holiday protection.
Will your holiday cost more?
Oil prices surged sharply at the outbreak of conflict and have remained elevated, compounded by Iran's partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping — and since jet fuel accounts for 20–30% of an airline's operating costs, that matters. The honest answer is: it depends on your airline, your destination, and when you're travelling.
The good news for European short-haul travellers
The airlines that dominate European short-haul routes from UK airports — easyJet and Ryanair — both locked in much of their fuel costs months ago through financial contracts called hedging. easyJet has hedged 70% of its summer fuel needs at pre-crisis prices, while Ryanair is sitting on roughly 80% hedge coverage. In practical terms, this means neither airline is under immediate pressure to spike fares on European routes for spring and early summer travel.
However, both airlines' hedging protection reduces as the year progresses — easyJet has warned that fares will rise toward the end of summer if fuel prices remain elevated. Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary has separately urged UK travellers to book summer holidays as quickly as possible to lock in current prices. If you're planning a late summer or autumn trip, booking sooner rather than later makes sense.
A new concern: jet fuel supply at European airports
Hedging covers the price of fuel — but not the availability of it. Industry experts have warned that if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, some European airports could begin facing jet fuel supply shortages from around mid-May, when leisure traffic accelerates. This is a developing situation rather than a certainty, and most assessments suggest April supplies are adequate. But it is worth monitoring if you are travelling in late May or June, and it is one more reason to have solid travel insurance in place.
Long-haul and Gulf-routed travel
If your holiday previously routed through Dubai or Doha, the picture is more complicated. While Dubai airport is now operational, many European carriers remain suspended to the UAE and long-haul rerouting via alternative hubs is adding time and cost. Travellers in this category face the most significant fare pressure and the most disrupted routing options.
If you've already booked
Your price is fixed. Airlines cannot add fuel surcharges to tickets already purchased — easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis has publicly confirmed his airline will not do so. Whatever you paid is what you pay. This is one more reason to book — and lock in prices — sooner rather than later.
Should you change your destination?
If you were booked to travel to the Middle East, or you simply feel more comfortable choosing somewhere clearly unaffected, there are some genuinely outstanding alternatives — and some of them are better than the trip you originally planned.
The obvious pivot is to popular Mediterranean destinations: Spain, Greece, Portugal, Turkey. These are all operating normally. But here's a thought worth having: millions of other people are making exactly the same pivot, which means Ibiza, Santorini and the Algarve could be busier — and pricier — than usual this summer.
The smartest move is to go one step further. Destinations that are excellent but haven't appeared on anyone's instinctive "substitute for Dubai" list include:
Albania — Riviera beaches, extraordinary food, and prices that make Greece look expensive
Montenegro — the medieval town of Kotor surrounded by dramatic Adriatic cliffs, without the cruise-ship crowds of Dubrovnik
Malta — warm, English-speaking, short direct flights, and three civilisations of history on one small island
Alentejo, Portugal — the peaceful, rural alternative to the Algarve, with medieval hilltop villages and UNESCO-certified stargazing
Puglia, Italy — the heel of Italy's boot: whitewashed trulli villages, spectacular coastline, authentic food, and far fewer tourists than Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast
Slovenia — Alpine lakes, a fairy-tale capital city, and a country small enough to drive across in a morning
Your 7-point action checklist
Whether you have an existing booking or you're thinking about making one, here is everything you need to do — and in the right order.
Check the FCDO advice for your destination today. And bookmark it. gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. A ceasefire is in place but fragile — advice could change quickly. If it changes to "advise against travel," your package holiday refund rights activate immediately.
Find your ATOL certificate. It's in your original booking confirmation. Keep it somewhere you can find it quickly.
Confirm whether your holiday is a package. If you booked flights and accommodation together from one provider, it almost certainly is, and the full force of UK consumer law is behind you.
Don't cancel before FCDO advice changes. Cancelling early out of anxiety may cost you your cancellation fee. Wait for official advice, then act with your rights in place.
If you're flying long-haul via Gulf hubs, check your routing now. Travellers to Asia, Australasia and the Indian Subcontinent should contact their airline to confirm whether their route has changed, and factor in potential delays or rerouting via Central Asia or alternative hubs such as Istanbul.
Check your travel insurance policy for war exclusions. Most standard policies exclude war, but if you bought your policy before the conflict began and the FCDO subsequently changes its advice, many policies will cover cancellation. Read your policy carefully, or speak to your insurer.
Use a credit card for any new bookings. Section 75 protection applies automatically to purchases between £100 and £30,000, at no extra cost to you.
Summary
Travel is resilient, because travel is important to so many of us. After every major disruption in living memory — 9/11, the 2003 Iraq War, the Arab Spring, the financial crisis, COVID — the industry has recovered, routes have reopened, and people have continued to enjoy their holidays. The same will be true this time.
The vast majority of UK holidaymakers this year will travel to their destination, enjoy their break, and return home without a single disruption caused by this conflict. The information in this guide is designed to make sure that if you are one of the smaller number affected, you're not caught off guard. You have rights, you have protections, and you have excellent options.
We'll keep this page updated as the situation develops. If you have a specific question about your booking, the guides linked above go into much more detail — and our team is always on hand to help.
