Escalating tensions in the Middle East have triggered a ripple-effect of flight cancellations across South-Asia air corridors. Late on 7 March 2026 LOT Polish Airlines announced two special long-range rotations—Colombo–Warsaw and Malé–Warsaw—set for 10 March to bring home several hundred Polish tourists stranded after multiple carriers diverted or scrapped services. According to industry portal Aviation24.be, the one-off flights were arranged at the request of major tour operators and in coordination with Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Seats will first be allocated to package-holiday customers whose original return legs were cancelled; any remaining capacity will be sold through accredited agencies such as Weco Travel and eTravel. The ad-hoc operation highlights the continuing importance of sovereign evacuation capability. Since 2020 LOT has run more than 60 chartered “Rescue LOT” missions—from Haiti to Israel—using its wide-body Dreamliner fleet. For companies with duty-of-care obligations the announcement underlines Warsaw’s ability to extract personnel quickly from volatile regions, a factor that increasingly influences assignment-risk assessments. Travellers are advised to monitor MFA social-media channels for further flights. Insurance providers, meanwhile, warn that policies may exclude cover for disruption caused by officially “foreseeable” geopolitical events after advisories are issued.
Source: Aviation24.be
