Travelling to or through the Middle East? Here’s what you need to know about your travel coverage.

Do you have an upcoming flight with Etihad, Emirates, Gulf Air, or Qatar Airways, and are travelling to or transiting through the Middle East? With the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict and resulting airspace closures in parts of the region, flights may face cancellations, rerouting, or delays at short notice. If your itinerary includes stopovers in major transit hubs such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, or Bahrain, it is important to monitor your flight status and review your travel insurance coverage carefully.

In this article, we explain how the conflict and airspace closures may affect your travel insurance coverage, and the factors that could affect your eligibility for a claim.

1.      Take note of “Known Event” cut-off dates for the Israel-Iran conflict.

In travel insurance, a “Known Event” refers to a situation that has already occurred or has been publicly announced before you purchased your travel insurance, with this “Known Event” reasonably expected to disrupt your trip. In general, no insurers will cover your conflict-related claim if the conflict or airspace closure was already a "Known Event" when you bought the policy or booked the trip.

With reference to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, this Known Event date will differ between insurer and policies.

Note: Information in the table above is not an admission of claim. The eligibility of claims will be subjected to the individual insurer’s assessments. Information retrieved on 3 March 2026.

2.      Check if your destination or transit country is completely excluded.

Most insurers have blanket exclusions for high-risk or sanctioned countries meaning that you will have absolutely no coverage if you travel to or transit through them.

For example, most travel insurance will exclude travel to countries such as Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and more. Travels intended to or through these countries will not be covered even if purchased before the Israel-Iran Known Event cut-off date.

3.      What coverage can I get for the Middle East airspace disruptions?

If you purchased your policy before the respective Known Event cut-off dates, you may be eligible for the following benefits if your flight is cancelled by the airline due to the closure of an airport or airspace. These may include:

• Trip Cancellation: Covers irrecoverable prepaid transport and accommodation expenses if you are forced to cancel your trip before departure.
• Trip Postponement: Covers additional administrative, economy class transport or standard room accommodation costs to reschedule your trip.
• Trip Cut Short: Covers additional economy-class transport and standard room accommodation expenses if you need to return to Singapore before your scheduled return date.
• Trip Disruption: Covers irrecoverable unused transport and accommodation costs, as well as additional economy-class transport and standard room accommodation costs to reroute

4.      Am I covered if I cancel my trip to the Middle East now?

With the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) advising Singaporeans to defer travel to 15 Middle East countries, you may be eligible to make a claim if you purchased your travel insurance before the situation became a Known Event.

Most insurers provide trip cancellation coverage when a government authority advises against non-essential travel, including formal advisories issued by the MFA. However, this benefit typically applies only if the cancellation occurs within 30 days of your scheduled departure date. If your trip is scheduled six months later, a cancellation now would likely fall outside the 30-day window and may not be covered.

5.      Will I be covered if I proceed with my trip to the Middle East?

Most travel insurance policies contain general exclusions for travel undertaken against official advisories issued by the Singapore Government. As the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has advised Singaporeans to defer travel to Iran, Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Territories, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar, coverage is unlikely to apply if you choose to proceed with travel to these countries.

6.      Can purchasing a "Cancel For Any Reason” add-on for my travel insurance now provide coverage against this Israel-Iran conflict and future Middle East airspace closures?

While this add-on typically allows you to cancel your trip for personal reasons (e.g. work commitments, an ill pet, or simply deciding not to travel), it does not cover cancellations arising from a declared Known Event.

If you have not yet purchased travel insurance for upcoming travel to or through the 15 Middle East countries, buying a policy now will not cover trip cancellations or postponements related to the declared Known Event even if you purchase a Cancel For Any Reason add-on.

Our Recommendation:

While Middle East airspace disruptions are ongoing - and new policies purchased now may not cover these specific regions as they are considered a Known Event - we strongly encourage you to secure travel insurance immediately, especially if your trip involves destinations not currently under an MFA travel advisory.

Even if you aren’t traveling to the Middle East, global tensions can lead to airspace closures, sudden fuel surcharges, or security delays worldwide. A comprehensive policy helps mitigate the costs of these indirect disruptions.

Securing your policy early is the only way to guarantee protection against other unforeseen circumstances - from sudden illnesses and severe weather to entirely new global disruptions -before they, too, escalate into known events. Don’t wait until the last minute; secure your coverage now to protect your peace of mind and your hard-earned holiday.

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Information obtained from:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/mfa-singaporeans-advised-defer-travel-middle-east-us-israel-iran-war-5962676

https://www.fwd.com.sg/travel-insurance/

https://www.income.com.sg/travel-insurance

https://www.sompo.com.sg/products/travel

Information retrieved on 3 March 2026.

Disclaimer:

The information given in this article is not an admission of claim. Eligibility of claims will be subjected to the individual insurer’s assessments.

All materials and content found in this article are strictly for information purposes only and should not be considered as an offer or solicitation to transact in any product. This article is not a contract of insurance.

Insurance products are underwritten by the respective insurance partners and distributed by iFAST Financial Pte Ltd (“iFAST”). You are advised to review the specific terms, conditions and exclusions in the relevant policy contract.

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