As the war in the Middle East has heavily impacted flight schedules at popular stopover hubs such as Dubai and Doha, European airlines are increasing their number of direct flights to Asia and Africa. The change is a direct response to both the conflict and passenger demand.
Since the outbreak of the war between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, European airlines have been gradually increasing their direct flight routes to destinations in Asia and Africa. By doing so, they can still offer passengers a solid selection of flights and avoid the Middle East, which usually serves as an important stopover hub. Due to the conflict, however, many airports in the region offer restricted flight schedules, and safety concerns have become predominant.
New flights
A number of carriers have been adding new flight routes to Asia and Africa in response to both the conflict in the Middle East and a pre-existing growing demand. Lufthansa, for example, added a fourth Asian destination to its portfolio by announcing five weekly flights from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur. British Airways has announced to be flying to Colombo three times a week from October onwards, while a daily connection between London Heathrow and Melbourne via Kuala Lumpur should see the day of light in January 2027.
Air Europa will be adding a route between Madrid and Johannesburg in June 2026, while EasyJet will add non-stop flights from Bristol to Cape Verde in May 2026, and Aegean Airlines has announced to be flying from Athens to Casablanca as of October 2026.
Increased capacity
Among the European carriers to have increased their number of existing direct flights to Asia and Africa are Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines, both members of the Lufthansa group. Aiming to shift its own capacity and to take over part of the workload from Middle Eastern carriers, Lufthansa added extra flights from Munich to both Singapore and Cape Town, as well as two flights from Frankfurt to Riyadh. Austrian Airlines installed extra connections between Vienna and Bangkok. According to the Lufthansa group, which noted a significant increase in demand, other direct flight routes are being considered.
“The Lufthansa Group continues to monitor current market developments. We will communicate any additional flights”, the company stated.
Air France has opted to deploy larger capacity aircraft on several of its non-stop routes, such as Singapore, Bangkok, Delhi, Shanghai, Mumbai, Tokyo, and Phuket. Extra flights to Bangkok, Delhi, and Singapore have been scheduled. British Airways, too, has installed extra non-stop flights to both Bangkok and Singapore.
International airlines such as Air India, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific have also been adding extra flights to their plans in order to meet demand as Middle Eastern carriers are temporarily operating on limited schedules.
