Dubai Airport and regional hubs hit as flights cancel and terminals sustain damage

Air traffic across the Middle East was disrupted after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, and retaliatory attacks followed. The fallout has left dubai airport reporting minor damage and staff injuries, multiple airlines suspending services and governments urging citizens to shelter.

Dubai International and Al Maktoum suspended: minor damage and staff hurt

All flights in and out of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airport in Dubai were suspended on Saturday afternoon, and the city's media office said a concourse had sustained "minor damage". The office said four members of staff at Dubai International had been injured, and four staff were reported hurt at Dubai International amid what was described as damage to a concourse.

Flights from Dubai were grounded on Saturday as a precaution while aviation sources indicated that one of the terminals had been damaged during an overnight Iranian attack. The situation at dubai airport came alongside reports that another luxury hotel in the city was damaged by fire earlier on Saturday, believed to have been caused by remnants from a falling missile.

Abu Dhabi's Zayed airport: one fatality and seven injured

An "incident" at Abu Dhabi's Zayed airport resulted in one person dead and seven injured. Abu Dhabi Airports said the incident "resulted in one fatality involving an Asian national and 7 injuries" but did not give a cause and urged against circulating rumours. Flights from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai airports were grounded on Saturday as a precaution.

Burj al Arab fire and civil defence response amid drone and missile activity

There was a minor fire on the facade of the city’s sail-shaped Burj al Arab hotel attributed to a drone interception; Civil Defence teams responded immediately and brought the incident under control, and no injuries were reported. Separately, another luxury hotel was damaged by fire earlier on Saturday and that damage was believed to follow remnants from a falling missile.

Major carriers cut schedules: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Wizz Air and others

Several carriers reduced or halted services to the region. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air pared back schedules to Middle East destinations. British Airways cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday, while Virgin Atlantic cancelled a Heathrow to Dubai flight and warned that its services to India, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives may take longer because flights are being rerouted.

Wizz Air suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up until and including next Saturday. Emirates, which flies to Dubai from the Solihull-based airport, suspended flights to and from the United Arab Emirates city. Qatar Airways confirmed the temporary suspension of flights to and from Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace, and later said operations would resume 19: 00 Doha time on Sunday (16: 00 GMT). Qatar Airways said it was working with the relevant authorities to support impacted passengers, plans to resume when airspace reopens and that the safety of passengers and crew is its highest priority.

Heathrow urged travellers to check with their airline for updates, and thousands of Britons were said to be potentially stuck by the temporary closure of airspace and airports in countries such as the UAE and Qatar.

Flights diverted and turned back: Birmingham, Heathrow and personal accounts

A delayed Qatar Airways flight from Birmingham to Doha that had been due to take off at 08: 14 GMT flew as far as France before turning back to Birmingham, where it landed at about 11: 20. The airline has suspended all flights to the Qatar capital because Qatari airspace was closed on Saturday, and it said it was working with authorities to support passengers.

More than 200 passengers on British Airways' 20: 00 flight to Doha on Friday returned to Heathrow after the aircraft was ordered to turn around part way through the journey; in one account the return was linked to a technical issue unrelated to the military action. Sarah Short, who was due to return from a holiday in Dubai to Heathrow on Saturday, said: "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. ' We then sat on the plane on the tarmac for over three hours. " She added: "There's no flights, everything's suspended. BA said there's nothing they can do. " Birmingham Airport was contacted for comment.

Regional strikes, airspace closures and government shelter notices

The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, including on the capital Tehran; explosions were heard across multiple Iranian cities, including Tehran, after talks to limit Iran's nuclear programme ended without an agreement earlier in the week. US President Donald Trump cited a failure to reach an agreement to limit Iran's nuclear programme and regime change among the reasons for the attack.

Iran responded by launching a series of attacks that targeted Israel and four Gulf Arab countries that host US military bases—Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Iranian and Israeli airspace were both closed on Saturday and international air traffic was shown avoiding the region. Iran launched retaliatory strikes, the Israeli military says, with explosions heard and attacks reported in several other countries in the region that host US facilities. The Qataris, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan say they have been intercepting missiles fired from Iran at US military bases on their territory. The UK did not participate in the strikes.

The UK Foreign Office urged British nationals in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to immediately shelter in place following explosions. The Foreign Office also warned Britons in several Middle East countries to remain indoors in a secure location, to avoid all travel and to follow local instructions; it said it was working around the clock to support British nationals and urged UK citizens to sign up to Register Your Presence and to travel advice emails so they can be contacted.

Brief local notes carried in the coverage

Outside the immediate aviation and diplomatic fallout, other items carried alongside coverage included a local note that Andrew Gant said "more teams than ever" are working to repair potholes across Oxfordshire, and that people living in Alderney said a project would help keep connections to the island active.