With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Finnair has cancelled its flights to Doha and Dubai until March 28 and said today (March 4) that it is “continuously exploring options” to get customers home from the cities.
The European Civil Aviation Authority (EASA) has instructed European airlines not to use the Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia airspace.
However, some airlines are still flying to Muscat, Oman, which may be a possible gateway from Dubai, Finnair said.
“The European Civil Aviation Authority continues to advise avoiding the airspace of Muscat, but if the situation develops in a positive direction, this is one option that we will investigate,” said Finnair chief operating officer Jaako Schildt.
Finnair said that if this does become an option, its passengers will need to transfer to Muscat by land.
"We are in discussions with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs about whether they could assist Finns with land transport and border crossing arrangements, and this is still being investigated," said Schildt.
The Oman border is reportedly congested at times and not everyone has been able to cross the border.
"We do not compromise on flight safety. For example, yesterday some flights of Middle Eastern airlines to Dubai were turned away due to a missile attack," said Schildt. "We understand that the situation is really distressing for our customers and their families, and we work hard to find a safe solution to get our customers home."
The airline said that if customers independently transfer to another airport, they can contact Finnair customer service to arrange a booking from there.