Bargain-hunters prepared to travel to Turkey despite the ongoing Middle East conflict can currently snap up flights for as little as £15 and week-long package holidays for around £200, with airlines slashing prices to maintain demand — though travel experts are warning the window for cheap deals may be closing fast.
The steep discounts come as some British tourists have pulled back from booking amid concerns about regional instability following the US-Israel strikes on Iran, which began on 28 February. Those fears deepened further after NATO intercepted two ballistic missiles fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace within the space of five days, prompting Turkey to summon the Iranian ambassador on both occasions and issue formal warnings to Tehran against taking “provocative steps.”
Despite this, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office continues to advise that the vast majority of Turkey is safe for travel, with warnings limited to areas within 10 kilometres of the Syrian border in the country’s east — far from the western coastal resorts and cities that most British tourists visit.
For those willing to travel, the current deals are well below typical seasonal prices. The cheapest available flight is a Ryanair service from Stansted to Bodrum on 15 April for just £15 — compared to the normal seasonal low of between £40 and £185 for the same route. WizzAir is offering a £30 single from Gatwick to Antalya on 22 April, against a usual cheapest rate of £40 to £140. Istanbul can be reached from Luton for £33 on 20 April with WizzAir, Izmir for £41 with easyJet from Luton on 18 April, and Ankara from Stansted for £52 on 17 April with AJet.
Package holidays are similarly discounted, with easyJet Holidays offering seven nights self-catering in Marmaris with flights from 22 April for £212 per person, and seven nights bed and breakfast in Dalaman for £214 per person on the same date.
However, the current low fares may not last. Skyscanner travel expert Laura Lindsay warned that airlines are facing significantly higher operating costs due to surging jet fuel prices. “While we may see some carriers increase fares to offset increased costs, most airlines will do everything they can to price attractively to stay ahead of the competition,” she said. Energy market expert Dr Amrita Sen told the Treasury committee that the jet fuel market had gone “crazy,” with prices doubling or even trebling — a far sharper impact than that seen on crude oil. Qantas, Air New Zealand and SAS have already announced fare increases, with Dr Sen warning other carriers are likely to follow.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary this week noted a “big collapse in bookings to the Middle East” alongside a corresponding surge in short-haul European bookings, suggesting travellers are actively rerouting rather than cancelling altogether.
Reaction among would-be Turkey holidaymakers has been mixed. Some have cancelled plans outright, citing the NATO missile interceptions as a deciding factor. Others who have recently returned from the country reported no visible signs of disruption, with one traveller saying the airport at Antalya was “so calm I didn’t even know it had happened.”
Turkey had been confirmed as Britain’s most popular summer holiday destination in 2025, with bookings up 54 per cent compared to 2023. Whether that demand holds through the spring will depend largely on how the regional situation develops and how quickly rising fuel costs feed through into ticket prices.
