Airfares are soaring and flights are being cancelled as the conflict in the Middle East leaves travellers and holiday-makers struggling.

Qantas said this week it was raising fares on international routes to defray the soaring cost of jet fuel, which it said had leapt 150 per cent in the past fortnight.

“Given the high demand for international flights, particularly to Europe, lower fare options are selling more quickly than usual, and we encourage customers to book early to secure the best available deals,” the airline, Australia’s biggest carrier, said on Tuesday.

Competitor Virgin Australia said flights operated by its codeshare partner Qatar Airways had been cancelled given the security situation in the Middle East.

Twenty-two flights between Australia and Qatar’s capital of Doha had been cancelled until Friday, Virgin said.

“We expect our schedule to resume in line with the full and safe reopening of Qatari airspace,” it said.

Also on Tuesday, major carrier British Airways said it was dramatically cutting back on flights to the Middle East.

“Due to the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability, we’ve had to temporarily reduce our flying schedule in the region,” it said in an update on its website.

“We’ve cancelled all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv until later this month and to and from Abu Dhabi until later this year. We’re keeping the situation under constant review and are in touch with our customers to offer them a range of options.”

The cuts come as strikes in the major Middle Eastern hubs continued to ground flights and leave thousands of travellers stranded. Some, such as Dubai, have been repeatedly hit in Iranian attacks and remain on limited schedules that can change at short notice.

“Military conflict in the Middle East has caused widespread airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions both in the region and globally,” the federal government’s Smartraveller website warns.

“Your travel plans may be affected, even if your destination is not in the Middle East. Contact your travel agent or airline to confirm your plans.

“If you travel to or through the Middle East, you may be unable to leave if conflict escalates. Flights can change or stop at short notice. Roads and borders can close.”

The major Middle Eastern airlines – Emirates, Qatar and Etihad – account for about 12 per cent of travel between Australia and European destinations.

But other airlines are also affected. This week, Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific was reportedly offering business class flights from Sydney-London in April for $39,577, as travellers seek routes that avoid the war zone.

Return fares between Britain and Australia usually cost about $5500-$7600 in business class and from $1500 in economy during April.

Cathay has already sold out its economy class on some April dates, with fares for remaining seats starting at $3400.

Meanwhile, other travellers are considering taking the long way to Europe – with multiple stopovers via the US.

“Each day this week, we have booked over 1000 people from Australia and New Zealand to Europe. Last year, we booked less than one a day,” United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby told CNBC late last week.

He said demand for United flights had “not taken even a tiny step back” since the missile strikes began on February 28.

“Booked revenue since Saturday is up over 20 per cent,” he said.

A search on United’s website shows 30-hour flights from Melbourne to Heathrow costing up to $6700 in economy. Later in the month, the same flight drops to just over $1600.

Qantas, meanwhile, is selling economy tickets between London and Sydney through Singapore for $5400. A flight from Sydney via San Francisco or Los Angeles to London – on British Airways and Iberia – costs about $5000, but takes longer.

Qantas has changed its direct Perth-London flight to add a stop in Singapore “for a fuel stop due to adjustments required on flight paths”.

Jet fuel has spiked to between $US150 to $US200 a barrel in recent days, up from about $85 to $90 a barrel before the war.

Across the Tasman, Air New Zealand said it was suspending its full-year earnings guidance given the soaring price of jet fuel, typically an airline’s biggest expense.

“The crisis is expected to meaningfully affect second-half earnings and accordingly, the airline has suspended FY2026 guidance until fuel markets and operating conditions stabilise,” it said.

Air NZ had implemented “initial fare adjustments” and may need to adjust pricing and its schedule further depending on fuel costs.

It was also “progressing ongoing cost reduction initiatives”, it said, without giving details.

-with AAP