MAR 1 – Airlines are continuing to cancel and divert flights serving the Middle East after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are among carriers to have grounded flights to the region, with all flights in and out of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airport in Dubai suspended.
The disruption has had a knock-on effect on other long-haul travel as airspace remains closed or restricted. Heathrow has urged travellers to check with their airline before setting out.
Iran launched retaliatory attacks including on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UK Foreign Office has urged British nationals to shelter in place.
At Dubai International, four members of staff were injured in an incident on Saturday, according to the airport’s spokesman.
Emirates has suspended all its operations in and out of Dubai until 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Sunday due to airspace closures across the region.
British Airways has cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday.
It said services between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv could be affected for several days.
Sarah Short was due to return from a holiday in Dubai to Heathrow.
“We got on the plane and were literally about to taxi when the pilot said: ‘We have some bad news – we’re not going anywhere’,” she told the BBC. “We then sat on the plane on the tarmac for over three hours.”
Airspaces over Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria and the UAE remain closed on Sunday morning, while there is a partial closure in Saudi Arabia. Jordanian and Lebanese airspace remains open but there is limited flight activity.
Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up until and including next Saturday.
Virgin Atlantic said it was suspending services between Heathrow and Riyadh on Sunday after earlier cancelling flights from Heathrow to Dubai on Saturday and Sunday.
It has warned its flights to India, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives may take longer due to them being rerouted around the affected region.
Virgin is among airlines across Europe, Asia and the Middle East that have had to cancel or reroute flights to avoid the closed or restricted airspace.
Tracking shows flights between Europe and Asia travelling via Saudi Arabia or the Caucasus.
Emma Belcher and her husband Vic were on their way back to Heathrow from a holiday in the Maldives via Dubai when their connecting flight was cancelled.
“There is absolutely no information about when they might open airspace so we don’t know how long we’ll be here,” she said.
“We were really looking forward to getting home to see the children as we haven’t been away without them before.”
Qatar Airways confirmed the temporary suspension of flights in and out of the capital, Doha, due to the closure of Qatari airspace, saying operations would resume at 19:00 local time on Sunday (16:00 GMT).
John Henry, 71, from Northampton, who is on holiday in Qatar, was at a shopping centre when they received an air raid alert on Saturday.
“We heard a bit of a thud and felt a tremor, and we saw a number of people moving quickly out of the shopping centre,” he told the BBC.
Qatar’s defence ministry said it had intercepted Iranian missiles after explosions were heard in Doha.
The UK Foreign Office is warning “against all travel to Israel and Palestine”.
British people in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE have been told to immediately shelter in place, while those in Saudi Arabia have been told to “remain indoors in a secure location”.
UK nationals in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Turkey and Oman have also been instructed to “remain vigilant” and take shelter if advised to do so.
The Foreign Office said British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE could register their presence to receive direct updates on the situation.
The UAE also said it had intercepted Iranian missiles and drones, while footage appears to show the moment a US facility in Bahrain was hit. Kuwait also said it had been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.
US President Donald Trump cited a failure to reach an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear programme and regime change as among the reasons for launching the attack.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer chaired a Cobra meeting on the strikes earlier on Saturday.
A government spokesperson said: “Our immediate priority is the safety of UK nationals in the region and we will provide them with consular assistance.”
By BBC
