Qantas are increasing the amount of flights they offer to Europe, to help passengers avoid stopovers in the Middle East, during the ongoing conflict in the area.
This week, Australia’s biggest airline announced they would roll out the changes to their Europe services from mid-April until late July, and progressively increase the amount of services available.
Flights between Perth and Rome will depart daily, while services to Paris will increase to five a week. The Paris flights will now leave from Sydney rather than Perth, and stopover in Singapore, allowing an extra 60 passengers per flight.
The Perth to Singapore services will increase from seven to 10 flights per week.
Qantas has confirmed that any affected passengers will be contacted with alternative flight options.
The changes have been announced following weeks of conflict in the Middle East after the US and Israel launched a series of strikes on Iran on February 28.
The strikes reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran then retaliated, launching strikes at Israel and at US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. A drone has also struck Britain’s Akrotiri military base in Cyprus, and missiles have been shot down over Turkey.
Airlines around the world are now shifting their flight patterns and paths to avoid flying in the Middle East as the conflict continues to rage.
This week, the Australian Government advised through Smart Traveller that many countries in the region have been placed on the ‘Do not travel’ list.
Smart Traveller has advised Australians do not travel to, or transit through, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Yemen.
They advise that you should not travel through these areas even if you plan not to leave the airport, as airports, hotels, roads, bridges and other infrastructure have been targeted in the conflict.
Airports could also shut down quickly and borders could close at short notice as the conflict continues.
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