If your Middle East flight was cancelled, what you are owed depends on who cancelled it, which country’s rules cover the flight, and who sold you the ticket. Start with the message the airline sent you, because accepting the wrong option can end your right to a better one.
Gulf hubs are open and Gulf carriers are flying, but strikes between the US and Iran are continuing and schedules change at short notice. For live hub status use our airport status tracker, and for the airline picture our GCC travel advisory. This page is about what happens once a flight is gone.
Step 1: Read the Notice Before You Click Anything
Open the airline’s app and read the cancellation notice and your ticket conditions. You will usually be offered rebooking or rerouting, a refund of the unused ticket, a voucher with its own expiry, or care, meaning meals, communications and a hotel. Read the conditions first, because under several passenger-rights regimes accepting a refund or a voucher ends your claim to rerouting and to further care.
Step 2: Know Which Rules Cover Your Flight
Do not assume US, UK or EU rules apply to a flight between two other countries.
Flights covered by US rules
The US Department of Transportation requires an automatic refund when an airline cancels or significantly changes a covered flight and you decline the alternative. It goes back to your original payment method within seven business days for a credit card and 20 calendar days otherwise. A voucher is always optional, so you can decline it and ask for cash.
Flights covered by UK or EU rules
A cancellation gives you a choice between reimbursement and rerouting, plus care while you wait, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority says a refund should reach you within seven days. Conflict and security risks generally count as extraordinary circumstances, which removes the fixed cash compensation but not your refund, rerouting or care rights. Those three survive.
Flights from a Dubai airport
Dubai’s Civil Aviation Authority issued an Aviation Consumer Welfare Directive on 28 April 2026, covering Dubai-based carriers, their codeshare partners, foreign airlines operating from Dubai airports and licensed travel agents.
It gives you meals, a way to communicate, and a hotel with transport if you are stuck overnight. You choose between the next available flight, rerouting on another carrier where workable, or a refund, and a cash refund must be paid within 14 days. You can also request a service disruption certificate, which is the document your insurer or employer will ask for. People of Determination, elderly passengers and unaccompanied minors get priority.
This is a duty of care, not a fixed cash payout, so do not expect a compensation cheque of the kind UK or EU rules pay. The trigger points vary with the circumstances, so ask the airline for care rather than waiting until you think you qualify, and note that care is still owed when the disruption is outside the airline’s control, up to a 72-hour cap. If the airline will not help, the DCAA runs a passenger-protection complaint route and staffs a desk at Dubai International in Terminal 1, arrivals level.
Step 3: Claim Through the Right Channel
Use the airline’s official manage-booking or claims page, unless a travel agent or booking platform is the company on your payment statement, in which case start there because it may be the party that owes you the refund. Keep receipts for hotels, meals and ground transport, keep a written record of every request and reference number, and follow up in writing once the airline’s stated processing time has passed.
Booking Again
Confirm every leg rather than the destination alone, because an airport can stay open while an airline cancels individual services. Gulf carriers are the more dependable choice right now, since most European and North American airlines have paused Gulf routes into late October. When you compare fares on Wego, check who operates each leg rather than who sold the ticket. Read your insurance terms too, as many policies exclude war, security events, or a disruption already known when you bought cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
My flight was cancelled during the conflict. Can I still get a refund?
Usually yes, if the airline cancelled it and you declined the alternative. US rules require a refund, and UK and EU rules give you a choice between reimbursement and rerouting. Claim in writing and keep the reference number.
Will I get cash compensation on top of a refund?
Usually not. Conflict and security risks count as extraordinary circumstances under UK and EU rules, which removes the fixed compensation. Refund, rerouting and care still apply. Dubai’s consumer welfare directive works the same way: it guarantees care, not a cash payout.
Should I take the voucher the airline is offering?
Only if it suits your plans. A voucher is optional under US refund rules, and under several other regimes accepting one ends your claim to cash. Check its value, expiry and usable routes first.
I booked through an agent. Who do I claim from?
Start with whoever appears on your payment statement. If an agent or platform issued the ticket, that company usually handles the refund and the airline will send you back to them. Keep the airline’s cancellation message either way, as evidence.
Sources
- US Department of Transportation (automatic refunds after a cancellation or significant change, and the seven and 20 day payment windows)
- UK Civil Aviation Authority (the seven-day refund expectation and the complaint route)
- Your Europe (EU air passenger rights, the reimbursement or rerouting choice, and extraordinary circumstances)
- Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (the Aviation Consumer Welfare Directive and the passenger-protection complaint route)
- The National (which airlines are flying and which have paused Gulf routes into late October)
- Emirates travel updates (Emirates cancellation and rebooking terms)
- Qatar Airways travel alerts (Qatar Airways rebooking and refund terms)
Disclaimer: Wego strives to ensure all information presented in this article is accurate and up to date at the time of publication. Travel policies, prices, visa requirements, and conditions can change rapidly. We strongly recommend verifying critical details with official sources before making travel decisions. Wego does not accept liability for any inaccuracies, oversights, or changes that may occur after publication.
