Australia branded a 'total outlier' over hardline Middle East travel advice

The travel industry is demanding the federal government relax its hardline travel warnings for Middle Eastern airports, arguing the current rules are leaving thousands of Europe-bound Aussies completely uninsured.

While nations like the UK and France have updated their advice to allow routine transits through major hubs like Dubai and Doha, Australia hasn't - forcing travellers to take a massive financial gamble to catch a connecting flight.

Thousands of Australians have transited through the Middle East since the war in Iran halted flights in February. But is it safe to do so? Should you take that risk? And further, can you still build that 24-hour Middle Eastern stopover into your itinerary to break up your journey?

The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) is calling on the Australian Government to move the Smartraveller advisory for airport transit through Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha to Level 3 - Reconsider your need to travel.

ATIA CEO, Dean Long, says UAE airspace has been fully restored since May 2, and these airports are operating.

"The official advice needs to catch up with the reality on the ground, because right now it refuses to decouple a brief airport transit from an in-country holiday. Those are fundamentally different situations and the advisory needs to reflect that," Long says.

Other countries including the UK, Germany, France and Ireland have updated their risk parameters to allow transit through these airports, making Australia "a total outlier," according to Long.

"We are asking Australia to do the same," he says.

But this doesn't mean Australians should leave the airport.

"We are absolutely not telling people to holiday in Dubai or Doha. That is not what we are asking for, and we want to be clear about that," Long says.

His concern is for Australians travelling to locations including London, Rome, Mumbai and Nairobi, who "happen to have a 90-minute connection along the way".

"Right now those travellers are being caught in an advisory that was not designed for them, and many of them do not even know it until something goes wrong. That is the problem we are asking the Government to fix," Long says.

As for how long it will be until Aussies can build that hot stopover back into their itinerary, Long says it all depends on the war.

"Honestly, it is anyone's guess and I would not want to put a number on it. The broader region remains complex and no one should pretend otherwise," Long says.

Eleven Middle Eastern countries and their airports are currently under a Level 4 - Do Not Travel advisory with the Australian Government's Smartraveller.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade tells Explore: "The safety and security of Australians is our highest priority."

"The situation in the Middle East region remains volatile and we continue to advise all Australians not to travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen," the spokesperson says.

They reiterate 'Do not travel' advice applies to transit and layovers in affected locations, as well as longer stays.

"Even if Australians don't plan to leave the airport, we continue to advise do not transit through these countries as your safety will be at risk," they say.

The DFAT travel advice level is what drives whether a travel insurer will cover a traveller in that region.

However, while travellers won't be covered if they transit through a Middle Eastern hub with a 'Do not travel' advice level, they might still have some recourse.

Anyone with a Gulf stopover already booked who purchased their travel insurance before February 28 should "review their policy immediately," McGowan says.

"If you bought your policy before 28 February, when the Gulf hubs were upgraded to 'do not travel,' you may have cancellation cover available, meaning you can claim to cancel the trip, not travel through it," he says.

"For anyone buying a policy now, with those regions already at 'do not travel,' there is no cover for losses in those regions at all.

"Travel insurance policies typically exclude any loss from travelling to, planning to travel to, or choosing to remain in a country or region that is under 'do not travel' advice from DFAT at the time of arrival."