Hong Kong-based airline has business-class return listed at A$39,577, as travellers seek routes avoiding Middle East

Business live – latest updates

The Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific is selling seats from Sydney to London for more than £20,000 in April, as passengers search for scarce long-haul flights without changing in the Middle East.

The tickets, listed at A$39,577 in business class for returns departing in mid-April, far outstrip the usual fares charged even in the first class cabin.

Travellers on routes around the world have had to look for different options after the US-Israel war on Iran closed critical airspace and major hub airports in the Middle East.