Dubai airport shuts & flights halted in Middle East leaving thousands stranded as Iran blitz sparks chaos for tourists
AIR passengers have been thrown into turmoil after a wave of flight cancellations between Western Europe and the Middle East followed US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed jets streaming overnight from the Gulf across northeast Iraq.
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But at around 6am GMT, that traffic abruptly vanished, with planes instead veering west across Saudi Arabia.
Dubai International Airport – the world’s busiest international hub – halted flights.
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Around a quarter of a million passengers typically pass through DXB each day.
Dubai’s flagship carrier, Emirates, said: “Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended operations to and from Dubai.
“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused, and we are assisting them with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements.
“The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”
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Holidaymakers in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, described hearing a series of loud explosions, while hotel staff distributed free ice lollies to help keep guests calm.
Later in the day, tourists were instructed to remain indoors to stay clear of debris from missiles that had been intercepted.
Authorities released images showing fragments of a rocket scattered across a city street.
British Airways passenger Mike Boreham was fully boarded on flight BA108 from Dubai to Heathrow when the captain made the announcement.
“We were all boarded,” he told The Independent.
“The flight is completely full. About 10 minutes after the ‘boarding complete’ announcement we were told airspace is closed.”
A passenger jet travelling from Birmingham to Qatar was forced to divert as US and Israeli military action against Iran continued to escalate.
The Qatar Airways service, scheduled to depart at 08:14 GMT for Doha, eventually took off but only reached French airspace before reversing course.
Flight tracking data indicates it landed back in Birmingham at around 11:20.
The carrier has since confirmed it has halted all flights to Doha following the closure of Qatari airspace on Saturday.
Qatar Airways said it is coordinating with authorities to assist affected travellers and intends to restart services once the airspace reopens.
A spokesperson said: “The safety of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Emirates, which operates routes between Birmingham and Dubai, has also suspended services to and from the UAE city.
Meanwhile, more than 200 passengers on British Airways’ 20:00 Heathrow-to-Doha flight on Friday were returned to London after the aircraft was instructed to turn back roughly a third of the way into its journey.
Among those affected by the disruption was Sarah Short, who had been planning to fly home to Heathrow from a holiday in Dubai on Saturday.
“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.”
She added: “There’s no flights, everything’s suspended. BA said there’s nothing they can do,” she said. “It’s all so volatile, you just don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
Explosions were reported in several Iranian cities on Saturday, including the capital, Tehran, after talks aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme collapsed without agreement earlier this week.
The UK was not involved in the strikes.
According to Israel’s military, Iran has since carried out retaliatory attacks, with blasts heard and incidents reported in multiple countries across the region where US facilities are located.
Projectiles were spotted soaring above Dubai – a city home to more than 240,000 Britons – as Iran launched retaliatory missiles at US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Flights bound for Dubai began turning back mid-journey – including Emirates from Dublin, Turkish Airlines to Istanbul and LOT Polish Airlines to Warsaw.
An inbound Emirates service from Seattle was also diverted to Warsaw.
More than 200 passengers travelling on the 20:00 service to Doha on Friday were forced back to Heathrow after the aircraft was instructed to return when it was around a third of the way into the flight.
Qatar Airways suspended all services to and from its Doha hub, with departures from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dublin and Heathrow all forced to return to where they started.
British Airways has cancelled Heathrow routes to Bahrain and Tel Aviv until 3 March, and Saturday’s Amman service has also been grounded.
A spokesperson told The Independent: “We are closely monitoring the situation and have taken the operational decision to cancel our flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain up to and including 03 March and have cancelled today’s service to Amman.
“Safety is always our top priority, and we’re contacting our customers to advise them of their travel options.”
Virgin Atlantic scrapped its Heathrow–Dubai flight on Saturday “as a precautionary measure”.
Flight VS400, due out at 10.10pm, will no longer operate, and the returning Airbus A350 scheduled for Sunday morning is also affected.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “The safety and security of our customers and people is always our top priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We are contacting affected customers regarding their travel arrangements.
“Due to the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, we have made the decision to temporarily avoid the airspace of Iraq, resulting in some pre-planned rerouting of our flights.”
Air Canada, Eurowings, Finnair and Swiss International Air Lines are also cancelling Dubai services.
While Emirates continues to operate largely as normal, it has suspended flights to Baghdad, Beirut and Amman.
Flydubai has axed routes to Iran and Iraq, as well as Kuwait, Tel Aviv and Damascus.
Wizz Air has halted all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman with immediate effect until 7 March.
A spokesperson for the Hungarian budget airline said: “The airline is closely monitoring developments and remains in ongoing contact with local and international authorities, aviation safety agencies, security authorities, and relevant governmental bodies.
“We acknowledge the disruption this may cause and appreciate the understanding of our customers.
“Passengers with affected bookings will be contacted directly with information regarding their options.”
Airlines including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Air France, KLM, Aegean Airlines and FlyDubai have grounded services to and from Tel Aviv.
Until around 6am GMT, some aircraft were still crossing Iranian airspace on north-south routes serving Dubai and other hubs.
Those movements have now stopped entirely.
Longer flight paths and mounting air traffic congestion are expected to cause continued disruption until the region reopens.
The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice, warning against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
They have advised British nationals to “immediately shelter in place”, instructing them to stay indoors in a secure location, avoid any travel and comply with guidance issued by local authorities.
In a statement, it said: “Due to the threat posed by escalation in the region, we recommend against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
“On 28 February 2026, the US and Israel commenced joint military action in Iran, Israeli airspace has now closed.”
John Henry, 71, from Northampton, was visiting with his family when an air raid alert sounded while they were inside a shopping centre.
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“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.
British nationals in the region are being urged to take “sensible precautions”, follow local authority guidance, avoid military sites and ensure their travel documents are up to date.
Travel Advice
By LISA MINOT Head of Travel
PASSENGERS across the globe face travel chaos as the aftermath of the strikes on Iran – and the regime’s retaliation – saw airports closed and flights cancelled across the Middle East.
Multiple airlines including British Airways and Virgin cancelled flights to countries across the region including Dubai, UAE, Israel and Bahrain as airspace closed in the wake of the early morning attack.
For passengers meant to be flying in or out of the region, your rights depend on whether you were flying directly in or out of the UK or EU or if you are flying with an UK or EU airline.
Those who are will not get compensation as it is not the fault of the airline but they do have a duty of care to look after impacted passengers – depending on the length of the delay that could include food and drink, a means of communicating and if necessary, overnight accommodation.
Those flying on non-UK or EU carriers may find their rights are slightly different if they are not on a direct flight to the UK as different rules apply and you may not be provided with the same assistance.
They are, however, expected to offer you the right to a refund or another flight in the case of cancellations.
As well as those directly impacted by cancelled flights, the closure of so much of the Middle Eastern airspace will mean even more congestion on alternative routes that could impact flights across the globe.
For those due to travel in the coming days, staying in contact with your airline and checking before travelling to the airport is essential as schedules may change at short notice.
