National flag carrier Finnair has cancelled its flights to Doha and Dubai until 28 March due to the heightened safety situation in the Middle East and is continuously exploring options to bring its passengers home safely, said Finnair in a press release on Wednesday.
The situation is difficult as it is currently not possible to fly safely to the area.
"We do not compromise on flight safety. For example, yesterday (Tuesday) some flights of Middle Eastern airlines to Dubai were turned away due to a missile attack," said Jaakko Schildt, Finnair's Chief Operating Officer.
"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 Finnair official added.
The European Civil Aviation Authority (EASA) has instructed European airlines not to use the airspace of Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Some Middle Eastern airlines have operated individual flights in the area, but for example Qatar Airways has suspended its flights until 6 March.
Airlines have the responsibility to reroute customers, but as most airlines have cancelled flights, there are very few options available, and first available flights are days away. More flights are also cancelled every day, said Finnair.
Some airlines still fly to Muscat in Oman, which has been raised as one gateway away from Dubai.
"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 Schildt, adding that in this case, passengers would have 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," Schildt added.
According to information in the media the Oman border is at times congested and not everyone has been able to cross the border.
Airlines have responsibility to re-route passengers from the destination to which the flight has been booked. However, if the passengers has independently transferred to another airport from which flights are available, they can contact Finnair customer service to arrange a booking from there.
Passengers are urged to follow available flight options in Finnair's Manage booking service.
If a rebooked flight connection is cancelled due to the ongoing situation, passengers are advised to contact Finnair customer service again to find an alternative routing.
If passengers have arranged hotel accommodation themselves while waiting for a new flight, they are asked to apply for reimbursement of hotel costs via Finnair's website, the press release added.
- Finnair
- Passengers
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- Middle East
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
