Nearly half of scheduled flights from Heathrow to Middle Eastern destinations were cancelled on Sunday as airspace closures across the region caused severe disruption. According to data from Cirium, 24 of 56 flights were axed, with airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic grounding services.
The UK government is planning one of its largest ever evacuations, with more than 76,000 British citizens registered in affected areas. Most are believed to be in the UAE, where Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha airports shut down after Iran retaliated against US and Israeli strikes.
Damage was reported at Dubai International Airport and the Burj Al Arab hotel, with four injured. Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport saw one death and seven injuries, according to a now-deleted post from Abu Dhabi Airports.
Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad—which together handle about 90,000 passengers daily—suspended flights. More than 3,400 flights were cancelled across seven main Middle Eastern airports on Sunday alone.
The Foreign Office advises against all travel to Iran, Israel and Palestine, and against non-essential travel to the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Travellers are urged to check flight status before heading to airports, with some airlines waiving rebooking fees.
“You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days,” said analyst Henry Harteveldt, while John Strickland noted the logistical complexity of repatriating scattered passengers and crews.
