THE conflict in the Middle East has resulted in thousands of cancelled holidays and it’s set to continue.
loveholidays has now announced it won’t be selling any of its package holidays to the likes of Qatar and Dubai until June 2026.
loveholidays, which offers affordable breaks all over the globe, is not selling package holidays to the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar or Jordan that leave in March, April or May 2026.
It has also cancelled a number of holidays set to depart in May.
On its website, loveholidays said: “We’ve made the decision to cancel all holidays departing up to and including 10 May 2026 to countries currently on the FCDO ‘all but essential travel’ list (UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Riyadh).
“This includes holidays with a connecting flight via one of these countries.”
It continued: “If you are due to travel or transit through these destinations after May 10, please rest assured that we will contact you directly if there is any impact to your holiday.”
In more detail, loveholidays said that flights operating with airline KLM to these destinations between May 11-17 have been cancelled, with refunds being processed.
It added that those flying with Qatar Airways between May 11 and June 15 have the option of cancelling their flights for a full refund.
Customers flying to or via Dubai, Doha, Amman or Bahrain on a British Airways flight between May 11-31 also have the option to cancel for a full refund.
A loveholidays spokesperson told Sun Travel: “We want to give customers with holidays to or transiting through the Middle East in the coming weeks as much certainty as possible and the flexibility to make alternative travel plans.
“Due to ongoing disruption affecting travel to the region, we have now cancelled and refunded all holidays to and transiting through the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Riyadh up to and including 10 May.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation closely with the FCDO and our airline partners, who are finalising their operational plans for the coming months.”
Meanwhile, On the Beach has cancelled holidays to the UAE that depart up to April 15 with breaks afterwards being monitored.
It’s not just holiday companies that are cancelling holidays, as flights are also being axed due to the rising cost of fuel caused by the conflict.
United Airlines was the latest to confirm that it would be cutting five per cent of flights in the second and third quarters of 2026.
With up to 5,000 flights a month – working out to around 4,000 domestic and 800 international routes – this means it affects around 250 flights a month.
It’s set to last until the end of summer, meaning thousands of passengers will be affected.
Other airlines cutting back on flights include Air New Zealand and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS).
Some UK airlines are less affected for now because they have secured some of their fuel at a fixed price for a certain amount of time.
These include Ryanair, easyJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
For more information on travel insurance and your airline rights during the crisis, Head of Sun Travel Lisa Minot explains what you can do.
And if you still want to travel – here’s where prices for all-inclusive deals are an absolute bargain with some 70 per cent cheaper.