The UK Foreign Office has not issued any new warning against travel to Turkey despite wider regional escalation, leaving its advice unchanged for British holidaymakers heading to a country it still describes as generally safe for travel.
The timing matters because the Middle East has been rattled by fresh disruption, including an Iranian drone attack on Kuwait International airport’s T1 building on Wednesday that injured several people and forced flights to be suspended or diverted. British travelers searching for up-to-date advice want one clear answer: on Turkey, they have not been told to turn back.
That does not mean the journey is trouble-free. The Foreign Office says regional escalation has created significant security risks and led to travel disruption, and it still advises against all travel within 10km of the border with Syria because of fighting and a heightened risk of terrorism. Travelers are being told to check FCDO crisis abroad advice, follow local authorities, monitor media, keep departure plans under review and make sure travel documents are current.
There is also a separate warning for anyone thinking about crossing into Turkey from Iran. On 1 March, the FCDO issued new advice for entry across the land border from Iran, saying the border remains open visa-free for people travelling on UK or Iranian passports for stays of up to 90 days, but British nationals must seek facilitation from the British Embassy in Ankara through the FCDO before they travel to the border. It also says anyone who intends to leave Iran overland does so at their own risk, and that in Iran a British passport or perceived links to the UK can be enough for detention by the authorities.
The practical picture for most British travelers is more reassuring than the headlines suggest. Flights connecting the UK with major Turkish airports, including Istanbul, Antalya and Ankara, are currently operating as scheduled, according to flight-tracking data, although some services to and from Turkey may still be delayed. Turkish Airlines has separately cancelled some flights to and from Iran and the surrounding region, and offered flexible changes or refunds on a long list of routes booked before 28 February 2026 for travel until 30 June.
That leaves holidaymakers in a familiar but uneasy position: Turkey remains open, flights are moving, and no new UK warning has been added, yet the regional risk picture is still fluid and the border near Syria remains restricted. Because the government has not warned against non-essential travel to Turkey, there is no special right to cancel for a full refund, and insurance claims tied only to safety concerns will usually depend on whether official advice changes.
