Middle East airspace

Last updated: 19:40 8th March 2026

Following airport and airspace closures in Dubai and Riyadh on Saturday 7th March, our Security and Operations teams conducted extensive safety and operational assessments. We have strict criteria that must be met for a flight to continue into any region, and our criteria for proceeding to Dubai and Riyadh were not met. As a result, we took the decision to cancel a number of our London Heathrow, Dubai and Riyadh rotations and safely divert affected services.

The following services have been cancelled:

Dubai (DXB)

Our Dubai service is suspended for the remainder of the Winter season. Dubai is a seasonal route for Virgin Atlantic and was scheduled to finish for the season on 28th March; however, the recent escalation in the Middle East has brought forward the end of our Winter operation.

As a result, we are no longer accepting freight to DXB for the remainder of the Winter season. Customers with existing bookings will be contacted directly.

Riyadh (RUH)

Services to and from Riyadh are paused for the next two weeks and will continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis in line with the latest safety guidance.

As a result, we are temporarily unable to accept freight to and from RUH for the next two weeks.

All existing bookings are being reviewed and affected customers will be contacted directly.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and communicate further updates as soon as more information becomes available.

The safety and security of our customers and our people remains our top priority. We appreciate your continued understanding.