Accident & General Secures Crucial Transit Cover for Irish Travel Trade Via UAE Hubs

The breakthrough comes at a critical time for the Irish travel trade, which has faced months of commercial uncertainty regarding high-value long-haul bookings to destinations such as Australia, New Zealand, The Maldives, and various Asian hubs that rely heavily on Gulf transit routes.

Following recent clarification from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that its “Avoid Non-Essential Travel” advisory does not extend to airside airport transit in the UAE, Accident & General moved swiftly to protect its agency partners. Craig Donnelly, Co-Owner and Director of Accident & General, spearheaded intensive negotiations with underwriters to unlock a practical, commercial solution for the trade.

“As a trade-only provider, we have been listening closely to the frustrations and challenges travel agents have faced over recent months,” said Craig Donnelly. “We know how vital these transit routes are to their businesses. That is why our team worked tirelessly behind the scenes with our underwriters to build a balanced, common-sense framework that gives agents the absolute confidence they need to close these high-value bookings.”

Details of the coverage is below:

Middle East Update – Stopover, Layover and Transfer Cover

A&G Insurers will provide cover for customers whose journeys include a stopover, layover or transfer through countries or regions in the Middle East, including during the transit period, provided their final destination remains an insured destination under the terms and conditions of their policy.

Cover will apply throughout the journey, including during the transit period and at the customer’s final destination, subject to all policy terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions.

As with all policies, no cover is available for claims arising directly or indirectly from war, acts of war, armed conflict, military action, civil unrest, terrorism, government intervention or any other event excluded under the policy.

Customers should continue to monitor official government travel advice and remain in contact with their airline or travel provider, as travel arrangements may be disrupted or amended at short notice.

While policy cover remains in force during transit, customers should be aware that local conditions may affect the availability of medical services, emergency assistance, evacuation or repatriation services.

Any assistance provided will be subject to local conditions and operational feasibility at the time of the incident.

For the avoidance of doubt, where a customer is travelling to an insured destination and transits through an affected area, cover will continue to apply during the transit period and at the final destination, subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions, including all applicable war and conflict exclusions.

We will continue to monitor developments closely and will provide further updates should the situation change.

Supporting the Travel Trade

“Being Trade Only, A&G wanted to ensure that you can close those long-haul bookings with as much confidence as possible. We hope that this balanced approach protects your customers for everyday, non-war-related incidents while reflecting the realities of the current operating environment.” Advised Craig.

Agents do not need to do anything differently when issuing policies; standard Transit, Stopover, Layover and Transfer through UAE airports is covered under these terms effective immediately.

Furthermore, to ensure complete peace of mind for consumers, Craig Donnelly confirmed that A&G maintains its standard, industry-leading target of processing valid claims within 5 working days, ensuring clients receive a speedy response upon their return.

This initiative highlights Accident & General’s ongoing commitment to the Irish travel industry, removing a significant hurdle for agents during peak booking periods.

“We wanted to deliver a solution that protects the consumer for everyday, non-war-related incidents while practically respecting the current geopolitical environment,” Donnelly added. “Agents do not need to do anything differently when issuing policies; standard transit through UAE airports is covered under these terms effective immediately.”

In concluding his message to the trade, Craig Donnelly also extended a heartfelt note of solidarity regarding the wider situation. “While we are pleased to deliver this practical operational update for our partners, our deepest thoughts remain with the innocent people who have suffered throughout this conflict. On behalf of everyone at Accident & General, we sincerely hope to see an end to hostilities and a lasting peace in the region very soon.”

If further information or clarification is required, Agents are encouraged to reach out directly to the Accident & General support team via Craig directly or Adrienne.