The increasingly tense security environment in the Middle East affects travel – what does traveller’s insurance cover?
The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommends to avoid travelling to several Middle Eastern countries. People staying in the region are advised to make a travel notification and remain in a safe location. LocalTapiola traveller’s insurance may cover expenses in situations where authorities have closed the airspace due to an armed conflict and the insured’s original travel plans change as a result. Read how traveller’s insurance works if your destination is, for example, Dubai or Doha.
I’m currently abroad, and due to the war in Iran, the airspace was closed and my airline cancelled my return flight. What can I do? What does traveller’s insurance cover in a situation like this?
If you cannot return home on your original flight because your flight has been cancelled due to closed airspace, you need to seek compensation primarily from the airline or tour operator.
A LocalTapiola traveller’s insurance policy may cover travel interruption expenses caused by crisis situations when the airspace has been closed due to an armed conflict and this prevents you from returning home on your original flight from the United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), Qatar, Bahrain or Kuwait. For travel interruption caused by a crisis situation, we may reimburse only additional travel and accommodation expenses, up to a maximum of EUR 2,000 per trip and insured.
Traveller’s insurance will not cover travel interruption caused by an armed conflict if your travel destination is a long-term conflict zone, such as Iran or Israel. However, as long as the traveller’s insurance cover remains effective, medical expenses of travel illnesses or travel accidents will be covered as normal under your policy terms. So if you fall ill while waiting for a replacement flight to Finland, the treatment costs will be covered by your insurance.
I have a trip booked to Dubai, Doha or a similar destination, and my flight was cancelled due to the increasingly tense security environment in the Middle East. Will my traveller’s insurance cover travel cancellation expenses?
Traveller’s insurance may cover travel cancellation expenses in crisis situations, when the cancellation is due to a sudden and unexpected armed conflict, as is currently the case in Dubai and Doha.
For cover to apply, you need to have booked the trip before the armed conflict began, and your trip must have been scheduled to start less than 14 days after the date on which the conflict started. So if your trip was scheduled to start no later than on 14 March 2026, you can make a claim for travel cancellation expenses.
I’m travelling abroad, and was supposed to make a stopover in Dubai, Doha or a similar affected city. Because the airspace was closed, the stopover did not take place as planned, and my flight was rerouted. This caused me additional travel and accommodation expenses that the airline will not reimburse. What will my traveller’s insurance cover?
Because the stopover was to take place in a destination where a sudden and unexpected armed conflict has broken out, traveller’s insurance may cover additional travel and accommodation expenses resulting from the rerouting.
What if I am currently travelling or about to travel, and I have corporate traveller’s insurance or secondment insurance cover?
A corporate traveller’s insurance or secondment insurance policy may include an evacuation cover as a supplementary cover. Contact your employer or insurer to check what your policy covers.
I have a trip booked to an international destination outside the Middle East. Because of military operations and general uncertainty, I don’t want to travel right now. Will my traveller’s insurance cover travel cancellation expenses?
At the moment, in accordance with your policy terms, traveller’s insurance can cover cancellation of travel to destinations such as Qatar if the cancellation is due to an armed conflict. Compensation for trips to other countries will be payable as normal under the policy terms. Unfortunately, travel-related concerns or fears are not covered reasons for travel cancellation.
We recommend contacting your airline or tour operator to enquire about postponing your trip or receiving a refund.
How do I make a claim?
You can make a claim quickly in the LocalTapiola app or on our website.
