Amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East, including closures of Doha and Dubai airports and regional airspace restrictions, travel insurance companies are reminding agents and their clients what their policy covers in these circumstances.
Santam Travel Insurance
According to Santam Travel Insurance, its policy only covers emergency medical and related expenses if travellers are injured as innocent bystanders (not actively participating) as a result of war.
However, trip cancellations and/or disruptions due to war are excluded under the following policy exclusions: War, invasion, acts of foreign enemies, hostilities, or war-like operations (whether declared or not), civil war, mutiny, military rising, usurped power, martial law, state of siege, insurrection, rebellion, or revolution.
“Travel insurance is designed to protect travellers from unexpected mishaps – lost luggage, sudden illness, or trip cancellations. But one thing it almost never covers is war. The reason is that war is too unpredictable, too widespread, and too financially destructive for insurers to manage. Because wars escalate quickly and unpredictably, it makes it impossible to assess risks and set fair premiums,” said Santam Travel Insurance.
For travellers who need to postpone or extend their trips, agents are advised to contact Santam Travel Insurance regarding administrative policy date changes.
Santam added that many travel insurance providers included limited terrorism coverage because, even though it is intentional, it usually happens in specific places and on a much smaller scale, making it easier for insurers to estimate the risks and plan for them.
Hollard Travel
Hollard Travel’s policy states that travel insurance is designed to protect travellers against individual, unforeseen personal events, such as illness, injury, or family emergencies. “War is a large‑scale, deliberate event that affects many travellers simultaneously. These types of systemic disruptions fall outside the scope of what travel insurance is intended or able to cover.”
The current situation in the Middle East is deemed war/armed conflict, rather than an isolated terrorist incident. As a result, Hollard excludes claims arising directly or indirectly from war, invasion, civil war, or military action. This means that trip cancellations, travel disruptions, and related losses linked to the current conflict are not covered under travel insurance.
In cases where airlines have cancelled or suspended flights, travellers are advised to contact the airline directly for refund or rebooking options, as these decisions fall under the airline’s control.
Emergency medical and related expenses for Hollard Travel travellers who are already in an affected country and require urgent medical treatment are covered subject to policy terms. Travellers needing medical assistance should contact their 24‑hour emergency number on their policy immediately.
If a trip is cancelled because of the conflict, the travel insurance policy itself may be cancelled, and 100% of the premium will be refunded, provided no claims have been made.
Bryte
Bryte’s policies include a standard exclusion for losses arising directly or indirectly from war or war-like events. As a result, cancellation or postponement claims related to these circumstances would not be covered.
For clients who are already travelling, cover will automatically extend for seven days from February 28, and emergency medical assistance services remain available during this period, according to Anrieth Symon, Head of Travel at Bryte.
“For clients who have not yet departed, we encourage them to contact their airline or travel provider to discuss available options. Our customer care centre is available to assist travel partners and policyholders with guidance on how cover may respond in specific circumstances,” said Symon.
Travellers are advised to follow official travel advisories and remain in contact with their airline or tour operator for the latest updates.
