New Foreign Office alerts made for Australia and New Zealand | World | News
People have been given new guidance about travelling to Australia and New Zealand in the wake of the Middle East conflict. Despite being many miles away from the warzone, people may still find their travel plans disrupted.
On the Foreign Office website, both Australia and New Zealand have the same alerts in place. The considerations have been made following the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States, which started last weekend, Saturday, February 28.
A spokesperson said: “Escalation in the Middle East has caused widespread travel disruption, including airspace closures, delayed and cancelled flights. Your travel plans may be affected, even if your destination is not in the Middle East.”
The alert, issued for Australia and New Zealand at 3pm on March 6, claimed that British nationals should consider three options when it comes to travelling abroad. Experts suggested that people:
- Check for the latest updates from your airline or tour operator before travelling
- Review your travel insurance policy for coverage before you travel
- Monitor local and international media for the latest information and sign up for travel advice email alerts
Experts at the Foreign Office added: “If you choose to travel, research your destinations and get appropriate travel insurance. Insurance should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.”
Recently, the Foreign Office has had to update its list of areas in the world where Brits are advised to avoid. Some of these countries have partial warnings in place, whereas some are complete “do not travel” zones.
The lengthy flight uses a lot of fuel, and stopping in these areas where conflict is now ongoing is often the most practical way to take the most direct route and be the most economical in terms of fuel. But, with areas like Qatar, Israel, Iran, Iraq and other countries in the region closing their airspace, this took out a major central corridor.
The ABC added: “Although some flights are resuming on designated flight paths through the conflict zone, most air traffic is using narrow corridors to the north and south, avoiding a range of simultaneous international conflicts. [The flights are] going north of the Iranian airspace, or south to avoid the conflicts.
“It’s also been reported that the Qantas long-haul flight direct from Perth to London has been rerouted through Singapore to avoid the airspace over the Gulf.” For the latest updates on travel to specific countries, and how it affects UK citizens, use the Foreign Office website here and search for the specific area from a list of 226 countries.
