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British Airways is among the airlines slashing flights to the Middle East weeks in advance or more

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  • Several airlines are suspending flight routes to destinations in the Middle East well in advance.
  • British Airways cut flights to Abu Dhabi until later this year and others until later this month.
  • While some airlines are canceling routes, others are operating at a more limited capacity.

The travel fallout from the war in Iran continues, with several airlines canceling flights to the Middle East weeks in advance or more.

Thousands of flights were canceled across the region following the US-Israel attack on Iran on February 28 and subsequent retaliatory strikes. While some flights have resumed and many travelers who got stranded in places like Abu Dhabi and Doha have made it out, the travel disruptions are ongoing.

Industry experts previously told Business Insider that the lasting impacts on tourism and global travel will likely depend on how long the war lasts, as well as how it ends. Canceled flights to Dubai International Airport, which serves as a common connector for routes between Europe, Asia, and Africa, could especially have a ripple effect.

While some airlines are canceling routes altogether, others are continuing to operate but in a more limited capacity. Some airlines have also added repatriation flights to help stranded travelers get home.

Here are the airlines that have suspended services to some destinations in the Middle East.

British Airways

British Airways said Tuesday it was canceling flights to Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv until later this month, and to and from Abu Dhabi until later this year.

It’s unclear when the flights will resume. Flights from London to Abu Dhabi appeared to be bookable on the airline’s website starting April 16.

British Airways also said it had limited seats remaining on its repatriation flights from Oman to London on March 11 and 12 for customers with existing bookings.

“Following these dates, the flights will pause due to reduced demand but will be kept under continuous review,” the airline said.

Air Canada

Air Canada has canceled all flights to and from Dubai through March 28 and to Tel Aviv through May 2 due to the conflict.

“If you are in either of these regions, please do not head to the airport. Your safety is our top priority,” the airline said in a statement last week.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic canceled its service to Dubai for the remainder of its usual season, or until March 28. The British airline, which typically only operates flights to Dubai seasonally, said in a statement that “the recent escalation in the Middle East has brought forward the end of our operation for this season.”

Virgin also said Sunday it was canceling its flights to Riyadh for the next two weeks.

Oman Air

Oman Air said Sunday it was canceling all flights to and from the following locations through March 15: Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad, and Khasab.

The airline also said it was operating extra flights to and from Muscat during that time, including to London, Istanbul, Cairo, and other destinations in Europe and Asia.

Air France

Air France said Monday it was canceling flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until March 12, and to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut until March 13.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa said this it was suspending flights to and from the following locations: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Dammam until March 15 and Tel Aviv until April 2.

Previously the airline said it was suspending flights to and from Amman and Erbil until March 15, Beirut until March 28, and Tehran until April 30.

Lufthansa said flights to and from Riyadh and Jeddah would continue.

Finnair

Finnair canceled all its flights to and from Doha and Dubai between February 28 and March 29.




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Khamenei’s killing spurs outrage among Kalshi and Polymarket users over claims of rigged markets and insider trading

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First came the bets. Then came the bombs. Now comes the outrage.

On Saturday, while many Americans were waking up to news of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, some were betting money on what would happen next — and expressing confusion and anger over what was happening on prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket.

The market-surveillance software company Bubblemaps said Saturday morning it had identified several new cryptocurrency wallets connected to Polymarket that collectively made over $1.2 million related to strikes on Iran.

Meanwhile, hours after the strikes began, Kalshi posted on X about the volatility in markets related to the ousting of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

On Polymarket, at least $200 million was staked on four wagers related to US strikes on Iran, regime change, or Khamenei’s death. Kalshi, which is more regulated and barred by US law from offering markets related to war and assassination, recorded almost $55 million in contracts related to whether or not Khamenei would be “out” in the next several months before activity in those markets was halted on Saturday afternoon.

The drip-drip of news and ambiguities in the contractual language on Kalshi and Polymarket led some users to think they had an edge as the day progressed. But several expressed outrage at the processing of their bets — or “trades,” as Kalshi calls them.

“Robbery. This platform is terrible,” wrote one Kalshi user, who posted an image showing a loss of $11.25 on a long-shot bet on Khamenei’s ouster.

While Kalshi only lists seven open markets on its “Iran” page, Polymarket had 187 Iran-related markets open as of Sunday morning, many with very little trading volume.

One that has since closed asked whether the US would “forcibly remove” Khamenei by March 31. Polymarket posted a “clarification” that the market resolved to “no” because the US had “merely contribute[d] to or assist[ed]” in the killing of Khamenei.

Some commenters urged that the outcome be disputed. Polymarket, where activity is logged on the Polygon blockchain, has a complex, decentralized resolution mechanism for many of its markets.

Markets that hinge partly on death are among the most controversial ones offered on prediction markets because they could create financial incentives for killing. In Israel, several people were reportedly arrested, and at least two were indicted in February based on their use of military secrets to make Polymarket bets.

In late February, six Democratic senators asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which has emerged as the main regulator of US prediction markets, to take action against contracts that “incentivize physical injury or death,” citing several Polymarket contracts and not mentioning Kalshi.

Chris Murphy, another Democratic senator, said this weekend on X that he would introduce legislation “ASAP” to prevent “people around Trump” from “profiting off war.”

By the end of Saturday, Kalshi co-founder Tarek Mansour posted on X that bets on Khamenei’s ouster would be paid out for their value the minute before Israel and the US reportedly struck Iran. Users who bought contracts after that point would be partly reimbursed, he said.

Some people protested or expressed confusion over how their positions would resolve. Others were supportive of Kalshi’s decisions.

“90% of you never read any rules and are mad at Kalshi because you couldn’t make money off your lil $10,” one user said in the comment section on Kalshi. “Get a grip, start reading rules.”

Representatives for Kalshi and Polymarket didn’t immediately respond to questions sent by email on Sunday morning.

Have a tip? Know more? Reach Jack Newsham via email (jnewsham@businessinsider.com) or via Signal (+1-314-971-1627). Use a personal email address, a nonwork device, and nonwork WiFi; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.




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Meta’s plan to train its AI on all your old Facebook data is raising eyebrows among privacy advocates

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Meta is scrambling to compete in the red-hot AI arms race, but an advocacy group is demanding nearly a dozen European countries force Meta to pump the breaks.

The European advocacy group announced complaints in 11 European countries over an upcoming Meta policy change that would allow it to scrape old user data from Facebook to train its artificial intelligence models.

Meta “plans to use years of personal posts, private images, or online tracking data for an undefined ‘AI technology’ that can ingest personal data from any source and share any information with undefined ‘third parties,'” the group, aptly named None of Your Business, or NOYB, said in a press announcement asking authorities to step in and suspend the policy.

Meta’s updated privacy policy is scheduled to go live in late June. It would impact some 400 million European users, NOYB said. The group said it was concerning that users would have to manually opt out of providing data in the future.

“Instead of asking users for their consent (opt-in), Meta argues that it has a legitimate interest that overrides the fundamental right to data protection and privacy of European users,” NOYB said. Europe has strict data privacy laws outlined in the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which went into effect in 2018 and has had a profound effect on Big Tech’s operations in Europe.

NOYB filed complaints in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Spain.

A Meta spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, but the company previously told Reuters that its new policy followed the law.

“We are confident that our approach complies with privacy laws, and our approach is consistent with how other tech companies are developing and improving their AI experiences in Europe (including Google and Open AI),” a Meta spokesperson said, according to Reuters.

In the United States, Meta AI has already had access to public user data and private chat conversations on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and there is no way to fully opt out of sharing your information, The Washington Post reported.


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