Lifestyle Trend: Iran war travel expert issues update on Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways disruption You Should Know

Thousands of travellers remain stranded and flights across the UAE are severely disrupted as the ongoing Iran conflict continues to shut down regional airspace

A travel update has been issued as the conflict in Iran continues. Journalist Simon Calder, who has been reporting from the region since the fighting began nearly two weeks ago, said that much of the airspace in the region remains largely shut down.

US and Israeli strikes on Iran are ongoing, while Iran has responded with attacks across several countries in the region. The impact on travel has been significant, with airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar handling around roughly 500,000 passengers daily.

Thousands of travellers remain stranded as they struggle to get home, with widespread disruption also affecting those with holidays booked across the Middle East, Asia and Australasia. Simon said one airline was making plans for ‘a whole series of flights’ between the Gulf and the UK, but the situation still remained difficult.

Speaking to the Independent, Simon said : “It’s now well over a week since the US and Israeli attack on Iran, which led to reprisals from Tehran, including missiles fired at Dubai International and other airports as well as targets in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. As a result of that, airspace was shut down and it remains only intermittently open.

“The result is, well, quite extraordinary. We are seeing that there is still no resumption of full flying on Emirates from Dubai, on Etihad from Abu Dhabi or indeed Qatar Airways from Doha. We’re still in the recovery phase of getting people out of those locations back to where they need to be.”

The journalist confirmed that Emirates plans to resume multiple flights to the UK airports by next Sunday, while Qatar Airways has a limited schedule from Doha, and Etihad continues operating out of Abu Dhabi, the Echo reports.

On Monday (March 9) evening, reports revealed that over 37,000 British nationals have been evacuated since the crisis began, while more than 170,000 have registered their presence.

Three UK government rescue flights have already arrived in Oman, with another scheduled to return from Dubai in the coming days. Around 180 British citizens are expected to depart on the first charter flight from Dubai, with two additional flights planned this week, each costing £500 per seat.

However, numerous travellers are still stranded in countries such as Japan, South Africa and Australia. As Simon added: “There is still no sign when people who are stranded the wrong side of the Gulf airspace shutdown, all the way from Tokyo to Sydney to Cape Town, are going to be able to come back.

“And at the moment, it appears that they are going to be responsible for finding hotels and, if necessary, buying new tickets at large expense, if they are unable to be flown back on the airline with whom they booked a ticket in good faith.”

Simon highlighted major issues with air passenger rights that could negatively affect many travellers. He said he is regularly questioning airlines about how they are supporting passengers and what steps they are taking to resolve the situation.

For those currently stranded, he added that options are limited. He said travellers can either wait it out if they have the time and resources, or pay for alternative ways to get home.