Qantas scraps non-stop UK flight due to Middle East unrest

A man fishes as a Qantas plane takes off from the Sydney international airport on a sunny day in Sydney on July 25, 2024. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

SYDNEY — Australian airline Qantas scrapped its non-stop Perth to London flight Thursday, saying the decision was taken as a “precaution” due to tensions in the Middle East.

The flight, usually a non-stop 17-and-a-half hour journey, will now refuel in Singapore, allowing it to carry a full load of passengers on a route that avoids contested air space.

It is the second time this year the airline has been forced to redirect flights due to unrest in the Middle East.

READ: Foreigners told to leave Lebanon as war fears surge

The return service — London to Perth — will continue to fly non-stop on a readjusted path due to prevailing winds.

Qantas joins other airlines including Lufthansa in redirecting flights from the area.

The region is bracing for a military retaliation from Iran against Israel, following the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, last week in Tehran.

READ: Egypt instructs airlines to avoid Iranian airspace

Both Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for the assassination and, along with Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, threatened reprisals.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it was behind Haniyeh’s killing.