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Amid ongoing disruptions to air travel across the Middle East, a limited number of flights have managed to depart from the United Arab Emirates, following the joint Israeli and U.S. military action against Iran.
Flightradar24, a flight tracking service, reports that over 4,000 flights daily have been cancelled throughout the region, impacting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
According to Ian Petchenik, director of communications, the disruption “will only increase the longer the crisis continues” and “will have enormous repercussions for the industry.”
These airline disruptions coincide with over 100,000 British citizens registering their presence in the Middle East with the UK government.
Aviation analytics firm Cirium reported that on Monday morning, 79% of global flights to Qatar and 71% of flights to the United Arab Emirates had been cancelled. Additionally, 81% of flights to Israel and 92% of flights to Bahrain have been grounded.
Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, had suspended services until 14:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Wednesday. However, some ad-hoc departures occurred on Monday, including an Etihad flight to London Heathrow (EY67), which landed at 19:17 GMT, according to Flightradar24.
Fay McCaul was aboard that flight after she and her seven-year-old son were stranded in Abu Dhabi over the weekend.
Speaking at Heathrow on Monday evening, the 41-year-old described the situation at Abu Dhabi Airport as “pretty chaotic”.
“It was just taking ages to board, with no announcements, so we didn’t know what was going on,” she said.
“And then after the boarding time, sirens started going off in the airport and everyone started receiving texts on their phones with alarm signals to stay away from windows because of potential missile strikes.”
“So then it was pretty chaotic, and the airline obviously didn’t know what was going on either.”
She added that her son had had “a lovely time because he had no idea of what was going on,” but she said it had been “pretty stressful” for her.
According to Flightradar24, other Etihad flights have departed for destinations including Moscow, Paris, Cairo, Delhi, and Karachi.
The airline stated: “Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals.” All regular scheduled services remain cancelled.
Dubai Airports announced on social media that a “limited resumption of operations” will begin on Monday evening, with a small number of flights allowed to operate from the region’s two main hubs – Dubai International and Dubai World Central.
Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, says it will prioritize customers with earlier bookings on these flights and will contact passengers directly.
Currently, no flights are taking off or landing from Doha, as Qatari airspace remains closed.
Earlier in the day, Qatar Airways, Qatar’s national airline, announced that its flight operations remain temporarily suspended on Monday due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
“Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace,” the airline stated on X.
Flights from the UK to numerous Middle Eastern destinations have also been cancelled, including all flights to Israel and Bahrain, three-quarters of the day’s scheduled flights to the United Arab Emirates, and over two-thirds (69%) of flights to Qatar.
Despite some flights departing from the UAE today, a significant number of passengers remain stranded.
Emirates passengers departing from Dubai have been informed that the airline will begin operating a limited number of flights on Monday evening, giving priority to those with previously cancelled bookings.
The airline stated it would directly contact individuals rebooked onto these flights and advised customers not to go to the airport unless notified. Further updates will be published on its website and social media channels.
Etihad, operating out of Abu Dhabi, announced that its regular scheduled flights would remain cancelled until Wednesday.
Customers are advised not to travel to the airport unless directly contacted by the airline. They are also encouraged to ensure their contact details are current within their bookings and to check their flight status online.
Qatar Airways has stated that all operations remain suspended. An update is planned for early Tuesday, and passengers are advised to monitor the latest information via the airline’s website and app.
Meanwhile, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises travelers planning to visit the Middle East to check its website for travel advice pertaining to their destination.
The FCDO currently advises against travel to several locations in the region and notes that traveling against FCDO advice could invalidate travel insurance.
British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates can register to receive direct updates from the FCDO.
Ian Scott, from Wedmore in Somerset, shared with BBC Your Voice that his Saturday morning flight from Doha, returning from Melbourne to Venice, was forced to turn back mid-air due to the conflict.
“We were in the airport for 15 hours before evacuation to a hotel. That was full, and we had to shelter underground due to close explosions,” he said.
Scott reports that he continues to hear blasts in the area and is still awaiting an opportunity to leave.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC that the situation was “deeply stressful” for those affected, many of whom were traveling for holiday or business.
When asked if the government was considering launching an evacuation, she stated that it was in close contact with airlines, airports, Middle Eastern governments, and the travel industry.
Cooper added that in similar past situations, the government had collaborated with airlines to bring people home on normal flights.
Paul Charles, from travel consultancy firm the PC Agency, indicated that the disruption in air travel in the Middle East is having a knock-on effect globally.
“Indeed at Sao Paolo airport yesterday I saw two Qatar Airways planes still on the ground there because they can’t fly to the Middle East at the moment,” he said.
“Flights are entirely full via other countries because the passengers who were due to go to the Middle East have to reroute via somewhere else in order to find safe haven.”
With additional reporting from Bernadette McCague
The US president laid out some of his objectives on Monday, but made no mention of what Iran’s future might look like after the war.
Security analyst Gordon Corera looks at what is likely to happen after much of Iran’s most senior leadership is killed.
Experts have warned that a prolonged conflict could push global energy prices even higher.
BBC’s Sarah Smith was inside the room as the US president mostly stayed on script while speaking at a White House event.
The PM told MPs that Trump had expressed his disagreement with the decision not to get involved in the initial strikes.
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