Australia relaxes Gulf travel advice in boost for Middle Eastern airlines

Published June 17, 2026 Updated June 17, 2026 08:51am

Australia has relaxed its travel advice for several Middle Eastern countries, allowing Australians to transit through and travel to the biggest Gulf air hubs with the security of being covered by insurance, Reuters reports.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the previous “do not travel” advisory had been lowered for the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Israel and Kuwait after the US and Iran reached an interim deal to end the war.

She said the advisory had moved to “reconsider your need to travel” to those countries, as the security situation could still deteriorate rapidly with little warning.

The removal of the “do not travel” warning is positive for Gulf airlines. They had carried more than half of all passengers flying from Europe to Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands before the war began in late February, according to aviation data firm Cirium.