Abu Dhabi and Gulf hubs disrupted as flights cancelled after US-Israeli strikes — abu dhabi travel warnings
abu dhabi was at the centre of a wave of airport disruptions after US and Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Iranian retaliation and widespread airspace closures. Airlines suspended services across the region and governments issued travel warnings, leaving hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded or diverted.
Airlines suspend Gulf operations
Emirates has suspended all its operations in and out of Dubai, leaving passengers round the world stranded. The carrier paused services in and out of Dubai until 15: 00 local time (13: 00 GMT) on Monday because of airspace closures. Etihad has suspended flights out of Abu Dhabi until 02: 00 local time. Virgin Atlantic suspended services between London and Riyadh and Dubai over the weekend and warned that flights to India, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives may take longer because aircraft are being rerouted around the affected region. British Airways has cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday and said services between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv could be affected for several days. Heathrow urged travellers to check with their airlines.
Abu Dhabi airport closures
Airspace closures affected flights in and out of airports in Tel Aviv, Dubai, Doha and other international hubs in the region. There were no flights over the United Arab Emirates after the government announced a "temporary and partial closure" of its airspace, a move that led to the closure of airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar and the cancellation of thousands of flights by major Middle Eastern and global airlines. The three major carriers that operate at those hubs—Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad—typically have about 90, 000 passengers a day passing through those airports, and all three suspended flights.
Casualties, interceptions and damage
Since the strikes began, there are multiple accounts of deaths and injuries at airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. One account states one person has been killed and 11 others injured at airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Four of those injuries were among members of staff at Dubai International, which is described as the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic. Another account says Dubai’s international airport and the Burj Al Arab hotel sustained damage and four people were injured. Abu Dhabi Airports posted that an incident at Zayed international airport resulted in one death and seven injuries; that post was later deleted. Separate reported figures list three dead and 58 injured as the UAE intercepted 165 missiles, 2 cruise missiles, and 541 drones. The sequence of strikes began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran early on Saturday and was followed by Iranian attacks on Gulf states in retaliation.
Travel warnings and UK evacuation planning
The UK Foreign Office is warning British citizens against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and advises those already there to shelter. The Foreign Office’s wider advice is against all travel to Iran, Israel and Palestine and against all but essential travel to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. British government officials are understood to be formulating plans to potentially evacuate UK nationals from the Middle East, though the timings of any move remain unclear while much of the region’s airspace stays closed. More than 76, 000 British citizens have registered their presence in affected areas, and this number is expected to rise; more than two-thirds of that total are believed to be in the UAE, and most are holidaymakers or travellers rather than residents.
Stranded travellers and wider disruption
Hundreds of thousands of travellers faced disruption as more than 3, 400 flights were cancelled across the seven main airports in the Middle East on Sunday. Travellers were stranded or diverted after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain shut their airspace. Long-haul travel was affected more widely, and some airlines warned of longer journey times because flights are being rerouted. One couple from London, Richard and Hannah, had been en route to Oman but became stuck in Bahrain; Hannah said on Sunday, "In the early hours of this morning a drone attacked the airport so we can't reach Oman this evening as planned, " describing an "uneasy 24 hours". Richard said the situation could escalate and they were looking to return home. Flightradar24 said a new notice extended closure of Iranian airspace until at least 8. 30am UK time on Tuesday.
Other governments have added travel guidance: there are further instructions to avoid travel to some parts of Pakistan, British nationals in Saudi Arabia are advised to stay at home, and people in Jordan, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq should take precautions given heightened regional tensions. The situation has prompted widespread flight cancellations, rerouting and contingency planning across the Gulf and beyond as authorities monitor risks and consider evacuation options while airspace restrictions remain in place.
