Austrian Airlines (AUA) issued a 13:00 update on 5 March extending its suspension of most Near-Eastern services. Flights to Dubai remain cancelled until at least 10 March, Tel Aviv until 22 March, and Tehran until the end of April. Services to Amman and Erbil are also paused, while Larnaca will restart on 7 March as Cyprus re-opens its airspace to overflights. The network reshuffle follows renewed missile exchanges between Iran and Israeli-aligned forces that prompted European carriers to avoid large swathes of FIRs over Iraq and the Persian Gulf. AUA’s parent Lufthansa Group has imposed similar suspensions across its brands. Cargo clients are already feeling the pinch: Vienna’s pharma shippers report delays of 48–72 hours on time-critical consignments normally routed via Dubai World Central. Passenger itineraries are being re-protected onto connections via Athens or Istanbul, lengthening door-to-door travel by up to five hours. Employers with mobility programmes should warn staff that travel insurance may not cover force-majeure cancellations in designated conflict zones. HR leaders are encouraged to review remote-work options for field teams who cannot safely reach project sites and to update evacuation plans for personnel based in Jordan, Iraq or the UAE.
Source: Austrian Wings
