Middle East Conflict – Important Travel Insurance Information

Due to the extraordinary escalation of conflict within the Middle East and the resulting closure of airspace, which has left thousands of travellers stranded abroad, our underwriter has confirmed that all existing policyholders who are currently unable to return home as planned due to this situation will receive an automatic extension of their travel insurance policy at no additional charge.

Automatic Policy Extension Criteria

Your policy will be automatically extended if:

You booked your trip, purchased your travel insurance policy, and departed from the UK prior to the escalation of the conflict.

Important:

To ensure your cover remains valid, you must return to the UK as soon as reasonably possible once travel becomes available.

General Exclusion – War Risks

Please be aware of the General Exclusion contained within all our travel insurance policies.

We will not pay for claims arising directly or indirectly from:

1. War risks, civil commotion, and terrorism, including:

  • War, invasion, acts of foreign enemies
  • Hostilities or warlike operations (whether war is declared or not)
  • Civil war, rebellion, terrorism, revolution, or insurrection
  • Civil commotion assuming the proportions of or amounting to an uprising
  • Military or usurped power

However, this exclusion does not apply to losses under:

  • Section B – Emergency Medical and Other Expenses
  • Section C – Hospital Benefit

unless such losses are caused by:

  • Nuclear, chemical, or biological attack; or
  • The disturbances that were already taking place at the beginning of any trip or one-way trip.

There may also be some coverage under Section A Curtailment, peril number 5,

The Travel Advice Unit of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) or other regulatory authority in the country you are in recommending evacuation from the country or specific area you have travelled to providing the advice came into force after you left your home area to commence the trip.

This cover only applies if your pre-arranged service provider is not contractually required to help you.

Travel Arrangements and Assistance

Airlines, tour operators, or travel agents are responsible for:

  • Assisting with alternative travel arrangements once airspace reopens, or
  • Providing refunds for cancelled services.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is closely monitoring the situation and issuing regular updates.

You can sign up for travel advice alerts by:

  1. Visiting www.gov.uk
  2. Searching for the country you are currently in
  3. Selecting “Get travel advice updates”
  4. Registering with your email address

Once registered, you will receive automatic updates, removing the need to check manually.

If You Have Not Yet Travelled

If you have not yet departed, please contact your airline, tour operator, or travel agent. They can advise on:

  • Refunds
  • Rescheduling
  • Alternative destinations

If an alternative destination or new travel dates are offered, we may be able to amend your existing policy, provided:

  • The policy has not yet been used for travel; and
  • There are no known or pending claims.

To avoid long telephone wait times during our opening hours, please consider using the Manage My Policy facility to request changes.

Please be aware that our sales and service team are unable to discuss live claims situations, and do not have access to the AXA Travel Insurance claims systems to register or track the progress of an existing claim.

Due to current circumstances, travel industry providers are experiencing significantly increased contact volumes. This may result in longer telephone wait times during office opening hours and delays in email responses and we appreciate your patience.