Which flight routes avoid Middle East airspace right now?

South of the Gulf: Egypt and Saudi Arabia, then in over the water

On 29 July 2026 Emirates flew Amsterdam to Dubai down the Balkans, across the eastern Mediterranean and over Egypt and Saudi Arabia before turning in to Dubai, clear of Iraqi airspace, and about an hour longer than the direct line. That is the southern routing on Amsterdam to Dubai and its London twin. It still ends inside the Gulf advisory area, because that is where the airport is.

North of Iran: the Caucasus, the Caspian and Central Asia

On 2 and 3 August 2026 Vietnam Airlines' nonstops between Hanoi and both London and Frankfurt flew the Black Sea, Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. No Russia, no Iran. Pakistan International's Islamabad to London flight did the same on 29 July 2026. These routings avoid the whole Middle East set; what they carry instead is the Central Asian corridor , which has been crowded since Russian airspace closed to most Western airlines. See London to Hanoi and Frankfurt to Hanoi .

Through Turkey, with a connection in Istanbul

The Europe-to-Istanbul leg has no warning area recorded on it. Whether the onward leg stays clear depends on where it goes: towards India (see London to Delhi ) and parts of Southeast Asia it can pass near, or on some pairs through, airspace that carries a warning. Often the least extra time of the routings that skip the Gulf. Compare it against a Gulf connection in via Istanbul vs via Dubai .

Through East Asia, with a connection in Hong Kong, Seoul or Singapore

Neither leg touches the Gulf advisory area or the airspace airlines are told to keep out of. The price is time, usually two hours or more over a Turkey connection, and the Europe leg rides the same crowded Central Asian corridor. On pairs from Australia and Southeast Asia to Europe this is the routing that stays out of the region entirely; see Sydney to London .

Over the pole, for Japan

On 2 August 2026 Japan Airlines flew Tokyo to Paris east over the Pacific, across Alaska and the Arctic and down over Greenland and Iceland, a corridor that avoids Russia and the Middle East at once, at the cost of a much longer flight. See Tokyo to Paris .

Via the Gulf itself: Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi

The routing lands inside the advisory area. The bulletin allows it, and these are among the busiest connecting airports in the world. High daily flight counts mean more ways to rebook if something goes wrong; the exposure is real and officially documented. Everything we record on routings through Dubai is on flying via Dubai right now .