The ongoing tensions in the Middle East have affected travel for thousands of Brits.

From those flying out to a country in or through the region to those stranded there trying to get back, thousands of flights have been cancelled in recent days.

However, it is not just countries in the Middle East where travel is affected, with several other popular holiday spots also experiencing issues.

4 holiday hotspots where travel is hit by Middle East war

Bali

Bali is a hugely popular holiday spot with Brits; however, a popular travel route to the country is via the Middle East.

Bali is a hugely popular spot with British tourists (Image: Getty Images)

Several flights have been cancelled since the weekend, affecting flights from Bali via Abu Dhabi, Doha and Dubai.

Flying through other areas, such as Singapore, is recommended, with Bali still safe to travel to.

Australia

Several flight cancellations have also hit those in Australia, with one of the main routes between the UK and Australia being via Dubai.

Alternative routes include going through Asia, through Hong Kong or Singapore, but flights are taking longer due to rerouting to avoid the airspace.

It is important to note that despite the issues, Australia has no travel warnings in place.

Thailand

Local reports in Thailand have said that more than 50 international flights have been cancelled in recent days due to the Middle East war.

Both travel to and through the airspace have been hit, with many having to fly via Asian hubs.

Direct flights with airlines such as Norse Airways to Bangkok will still operate later this week.

Maldives

The Maldives is another area hit by flight cancellations as many are routed through the Middle East.

Brits have shared on social media that they have had to rebook flights to go through areas such as Shanghai.

Direct flights are still operating with Virgin Atlantic, but they may take longer, and the Maldives remains on the safe travel list.

Which airlines have been affected by the Middle East war?

Various airlines have been affected by the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, with thousands of flights cancelled this week.

UK-based aviation consultant John Strickland said the disruption was “pretty unprecedented”.

He told the Press Association: “The Gulf carriers are now so fundamental to much of global aviation, not least east-west flows between Europe and Asia.

“I can’t recall a situation – other than the pandemic – where we’ve had these Gulf hubs out of action in this way before.

“We’ve had other conflicts in the region, but not, I think, really in the scale of military conflict or scale of activity that we have now with the Gulf carriers.”

British Airways said it is "closely monitoring the situation" after "a number of flights to the Middle East" have been cancelled.

Virgin Atlantic has also been hit, but said it is "actively reviewing our flying programme each day and doing everything we reasonably can to minimise disruption".

Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways are also among those affected.

The countries the UK government advises not to travel to

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises that anyone travelling anywhere in the Middle East should monitor travel advice and follow advice from local authorities.

Travel advice has been recently updated for 21 countries, with the FCDO advising against all travel to the following countries:

  • Afghanistan
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Palestine
  • Syria
  • Yemen

Areas within countries also fall into the no travel list, such as the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the Jordan-Syria border, areas in Beirut and the Mount Lebanon Governorate, the Saudi Arabia-Yemen border and the Turkey-Syria border.

Meanwhile, the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE, including Dubai.

Britons continue to remain stranded throughout the Middle East, with more than 100,000 having registered their presence with the Foreign Office amid evacuation planning.

Large areas of airspace over the region remain closed because of the fighting, and tourism safe spots like Dubai have come under fire in missile attacks.

Some flights have, however, begun to bring people home to the UK.

On Monday (March 1) afternoon, an Etihad Airways flight carrying stranded British nationals arrived at Heathrow airport, according to flight tracking company Flightradar24.