British Airways has cancelled all flights to Dubai until June, citing ongoing uncertainty and unstable airspace in the Gulf. The airline has also suspended flights to Bahrain, Tel Aviv, and Amman until May 31 due to the conflict in Iran. Flights to Doha are paused until the end of April, and service to Abu Dhabi is not expected to resume until October.
Budget carrier Wizz Air has also suspended flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman, Jeddah, and Israel from European airports until mid-September. This is the latest setback for the tourism-reliant UAE, which remains under a travel warning from the UK Foreign Office.
Thousands of flights to and from Dubai have been cancelled because of the ongoing conflict and drone attacks on airport infrastructure. As a result, many British nationals were stranded and scrambling to find flights back to the UK. BA’s announcement came just hours after Dubai International Airport was closed following an Iranian drone strike on a fuel storage tank.
Emergency crews responded, and flights were suspended for several hours. Incoming planes were diverted to the smaller Al Maktoum International Airport. No injuries have been reported. Tehran has launched retaliatory missiles and drones at US bases in the region since a joint US-Israeli operation killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28.
Virgin Atlantic has also cancelled all flights to and from Dubai for the rest of the winter season. Emirates suspended flights yesterday after Dubai International Airport was closed. At least 94 flights were cancelled at Dubai Airport on Monday morning alone due to the strike. Regional airlines have added more flights to help stranded passengers, using narrow air corridors watched by military jets.
If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a full refund through the BA Manage My Booking portal. BA can rebook you on alternative dates or routes, and has added extra flights to Singapore and Bangkok. BA also has agreements to rebook passengers onto partner airlines including Lufthansa, Air France, American Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. If you booked through a travel agent, contact them directly.
