Flights

Carriers examining which flights can be cancelled with least disruption under plans to avoid summer travel chaosUK airlines will be able to cancel or consolidate flights this summer under new plans to conserve jet fuel as the war in the Middle East continues to disrupt supplies.The measures are being taken to avoid major disruption as Britons jet off on their summer holidays. Airlines are looking carefully at their timetables to see which flights can be cancelled in advance and cause the least delays. Continue reading...

Some travellers spent hours in lines at airport, with kiosks not working, little seating and few staff on hand to helpSome travellers passing through the new EU entry-exit system (EES) have faced huge delays at border checks, with some waiting for up to three hours, airports say.The new rules have gradually been introduced in Europe since October 2025, and came into effect on Friday in the Schengen countries – 25 of the EU’s 27 states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Continue reading...

Carriers will retain airport slots if they cancel services as passengers are urged to continue with travel plansPenalties on airlines that cancel UK flights because of jet fuel shortages have been eased, it has emerged, as the government issued fresh advice to reassure the public they can still fly and should stick to travel plans.Airlines who cancel flights will not lose their rights to valuable takeoff and landing slots at busy airports, which can be forfeited when flights fail to operate over a period. Continue reading...

Holiday park firms say such bookings are on the rise because of impact of Iran war on aviationHoliday companies have predicted a surge in bookings for UK summer breaks after a jump in interest from Britons fearful of flight cancellations linked to the Iran war.Summer bookings are expected to rise in the coming weeks amid warnings of possible jet fuel shortages and resulting cancellations by airlines across Europe. Continue reading...

Aviation fuel costs remain significantly elevated amid the US and Israel’s ongoing war with IranSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAir Canada has announced a temporary suspension of flights from Toronto and Montreal to New York’s John F Kennedy airport, citing rising fuel prices.The move comes amid growing concerns that airlines worldwide may scale back services as aviation fuel costs climb in the wake of the US and Israel’s ongoing war with Iran, which entered a fragile ceasefire earlier in April. Although Iran announced on Friday that the strait of Hormuz had reopened, helping ease oil prices, fuel costs remain significantly elevated after weeks of disruption. Continue reading...

As Persian Gulf carriers reduce routes, the Australian airline is also feeling the impact of rising fuel costsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQantas has lifted fares and cut domestic flights amid a surge in travel demand away from airlines that transit through the troubled Middle East.The Australian airline says it has redeployed capacity from its US and domestic network to take advantage of the strong interest in Europe-bound travel – in particular to Paris and Rome – according to a market update released on Tuesday. Continue reading...

After suspending routes owing to Iran war, airline will operate more direct flights to India and KenyaMiddle East crisis – live updatesBritish Airways will offer a reduced flight schedule to the Middle East when it resumes services in July, and use the aircraft to operate more direct flights to India and Kenya.The airline has currently suspended services to the region because of the Iran war, and plans to resume flights to Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh in mid-May, as well as services to Dubai, Doha and Tel Aviv on 1 July. It is cutting its Dubai flights from three-a-day to one daily flight, and reducing services to Doha, Tel Aviv and Riyadh from two to one a day. Continue reading...

• Austria has rejected multiple US requests for military overflights of its territory since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, 2026. • The decision underscores Vienna's strict neutrality policy, complicating US logistics for regional operations against Iranian targets. • This refusal highlights growing European divisions on supporting US actions, potentially delaying reinforcements to Middle East bases.

Some people are opting not to travel at all amid what they call ‘a manufactured crisis by the Trump administration’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxPassengers across the US have had their travel plans upended by the latest Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which has triggered widespread staffing shortages at airports as security employees go weeks without pay.“We are returning from St Thomas, US Virgin Islands to Boston today and it took fully three hours to get through US customs. Absolutely insane,” Boston-based passenger John Hildebrandt told the Guardian. Continue reading...

The regulator has issued a ground stop for all planes and New York’s emergency management authority warned people to expect cancellations and delaysNew York’s LaGuardia airport was closed to flights early on Monday after an Air Canada flight and Port Authority vehicle collided.The New York police department confirmed the collision but could not immediately offer further information. The update came after flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said in post on X late on Monday that an Air Canada Express plane had collided with a ground vehicle at the airport. Continue reading...

World-leading laws to be tested ahead of South Australian state election, complicated by Hanson and Bernardi’s political statusGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCory Bernardi says he will pay for multiple flights with Pauline Hanson in a plane registered to Gina Rinehart’s company amid confusion about whether the trips may contravene South Australia’s new laws banning political donations.Saturday’s SA election is the first since the new laws came into effect. There are a range of exemptions to the ban, but it is not clear if any of them apply to One Nation as parties, candidates and the electoral commission work through the “world-leading” laws for the first time. Continue reading...

Exclusive: One Nation leader updates register after questions from the Guardian to include multiple flights courtesy of Rinehart’s companyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation senator Pauline Hanson has failed to properly declare more free flights gifted from mining billionaire Gina Rinehart – this time through her agricultural company S Kidman and Co.Senator Hanson updated her register on Tuesday to include multiple flights taken last year courtesy of Rinehart’s company following questions sent from the Guardian on Monday regarding a flight from Tamworth to Brisbane on 8 December last year. Continue reading...

Storm system dumps snow in midwest and threatens east coast with high winds and possible ‘long-track tornadoes’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA late winter storm continued a destructive, elemental march across the eastern US, with thousands of flights canceled or delayed as powerful winds combined with a partial government shutdown delayed travelers passing through airport security scanners.Flight delays and cancellations mounted at some of the nation’s largest airports, including in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. Flight delays within, into, or out of the US totaled 9,112 by late afternoon, with cancellations standing at 4,763, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website. Continue reading...

Trump warns Nato faces ‘very bad’ future if US allies fail to assist in opening the vital oil route; Israel says thousands of targets in Iran remain – follow it liveHow have you been affected by the latest Middle East events?Donald Trump is said to be working to build a coalition of countries that will attempt to reopen the strait of Hormuz.The US president hopes to unveil the list later this week, Axios reported, citing four unnamed sources.Donald Trump has warned that Nato faces a “very bad” future if US allies fail to assist in opening up the strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times has reported. He also said on Sunday that he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the strait of Hormuz open, but his appeals have brought no commitments as oil prices soar during the Iran war. The president declined to name the countries heavily reliant on Middle East crude that the administration is negotiating with to join a coalition to police the waterway where about one-fifth the world’s traded oil normally flows. Australia and Japan have declined to send their navies to the strait.Flights were temporarily suspended at Dubai’s airport, previously one of the world’s busiest, after a “drone-related incident” sparked a fire nearby, city authorities said on Monday. The incident impacted a fuel tank, the Gulf financial hub’s media office said, later adding authorities had extinguished the blaze that broke out. The office said no injuries had been reported.Israel said that its military remains focused on thousands of potential targets within Iran, even as Tehran issued a stern warning to neighbouring nations against further involvement in the rapidly expanding regional war.Oil prices have climbed again amid mounting supply fears after the US struck Iran’s vital Kharg Island oil hub and Trump demanded allies help reopen the strait of Hormuz. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 1.8% to $104.98 per barrel during early trading on Monday. Another weekend of violence across the Middle East compounded concerns over the conflict, and its ramifications for global energy markets.British prime minister Keir Starmer discussed the need to reopen the strait of Hormuz to end disruption to global shipping with Trump, a Downing Street spokeswoman said on Sunday. Starmer also spoke with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, with the leaders discussing the impact of the strait’s continued closure on international shipping, the spokeswoman told Reuters.Italy’s military said there had been a drone attack on the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait hosting Italian and US forces, but said all its personnel were safe. “This morning, Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait was the target of a drone attack that hit a shelter housing a remotely piloted aircraft of the Italian Task Force Air (TFA), which was destroyed,” the chief of the defence general staff, Luciano Portolano, said in a statement.UN peacekeepers said they were fired upon “likely by non-state armed groups” in south Lebanon on Sunday, while a Hamas source said an Israeli strike killed an official from the Palestinian militant group.A rocket attack on Baghdad international airport in Iraq, which houses a US diplomatic facility, wounded five people, Iraqi authorities said. The Iraqi government’s security media cell said “five rockets targeted Baghdad International Airport and its surrounding area, injuring four airport employees and security personnel, and an engineer”.US energy secretary Chris Wright said that there was “a very good chance” gas prices could drop below $3 a gallon by summer, though that is contingent on the Iran conflict’s end. Wright told NBC’s Meet the Press that while US drivers “are feeling it right now” at the pump and “will feel it for a few more weeks”, once the Iran war is over “we’ll go to a world more abundant” and “more affordable” in energy.Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a brief video to mock viral social media rumours suggesting he had been killed. Taking a sip from a steaming cup at a cafe near Jerusalem, he jokingly posted to his official X account, “I’m dead for coffee,” utilizing a Hebrew slang term that equates being “dead” for something with loving it.The World Health Organisation said on Sunday it had released $2 m from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE) to support the health response in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria amid the Middle East crisis. Continue reading...

Criminals exploiting Middle East crisis by targeting customers seeking help or refunds from affected carriersYour flight has been delayed as a result of the Middle East crisis and you want to find out what’s happening, so you go online for an answer. You find a social media account run by the airline you are booked with and post a question, and get a reply offering help.You’re asked to send a direct message with details, which seems reasonable. A conversation starts and you are told to give your phone number as you may be due compensation. This is where it all starts going wrong: instead of being given money, you have it taken. Although it looked official, the account that replied was a scam. Continue reading...