With the conflict in the Middle East ongoing, many Australians have been seeking new routes home from Europe, as airspace closures continue to affect flights into and out of the region.
Melissa Elf, global COO, FCM Travel and Corporate Traveller has said the travel group has outlined the routes still available to travellers heading in either direction.
“We understand the urgency for travellers to secure a safe return home… The majority of Europe to Australia flight connections operate via Asian hubs, not the Middle East, including Singapore, Hong Kong, and other major regional airports, with these routes continuing to operate normally.”
Transfers via Asia – especially Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur – have become very popular in the last few days, Elf noted, adding: “Travel managers and passengers should note that seat availability on these alternative routes is limited and subject to rapid change. Securing a booking requires prompt action and flexibility.
“As a travel management company, we continue to assist as we can access different inventory systems, manage re-bookings, and handle ticketing complexities, significantly easing the burden on travellers and their companies.”
Available routes for Europe via Asia (non-Middle East) to and from Australia are:
- Singapore Airlines (via Singapore)
- Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong)
- Malaysia Airlines (via Kuala Lumpur)
- Thai Airways (via Bangkok)
- China Southern/China Eastern (via Chinese cities)
- EVA Air/China Airlines (via Taipei)
- Qantas (via Singapore on some routes).
Europe via other routes:
- Qantas (direct to London via Perth)
- Various European carriers with Asian codeshares
- Options to fly to/from via the USA/Canada.
