Air France and KLM suspend flights in Middle East region - passengers to be refunded

Citing the prevailing security situation and airspace restrictions in the Middle East region, France's national airline, Air France, has temporarily suspended its flights to Dubai and Riyadh. This decision was announced in the latest official statement issued at 5:00 PM Paris time on July 20, 2026.

According to the official statement, flights to and from Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, have been suspended until July 24, 2026, and this suspension applies to flights departing from Riyadh until July 25. Similarly, flights to and from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates have been suspended until July 27, and flights departing from Dubai until July 28. In addition, the previously imposed flight suspension to Beirut, Lebanon, has been further extended until August 2, 2026.

As the security situation in the Middle East region is rapidly changing, Air France is continuously monitoring the situation live, and the resumption of flights will be determined based on the security assessment of the area. The company states that the safety of its passengers and crew is its highest priority and is taking steps to contact affected passengers personally. Even if a flight has not been officially canceled, affected passengers have been offered commercial facilities to cancel their trip free of charge or postpone it to another date, and information regarding this can be obtained from the airfrance.com website.

This volatile situation across the Middle East has arisen due to the acute conflict between the United States and Iran and the airspace restrictions in the Persian Gulf region. Consequently, organizations including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have issued warnings regarding the use of these conflict-zone airspaces, leading many international airlines to change or suspend their flight routes.

KLM, an airline belonging to Air France's partner 'Air France-KLM' group, has also suspended its flights to Dubai, Riyadh, and Dammam for an extended period, with some reports indicating the suspension extends until August 2026. In addition, several leading international airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa Group, Cathay Pacific, Air Canada, and Air Astana have taken steps to temporarily halt or restrict Middle East flight routes, considering regional risks. However, regional Middle Eastern airlines like Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, and Qatar Airways continue their operations by revising flight schedules and altering routes.