A 12-year-old British boy who spent three nights stranded at Dubai airport amid airstrikes in the Middle East has returned to the UK. Ahmad Ali, from Swindon, Wiltshire, was travelling back from Pakistan when the conflict erupted, leaving him alone in the airport.
Emirates staff cared for Ahmad during the ordeal. His mother, Hafsa Ali, tearfully greeted him at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday. She said: 'It was very terrible for us because he is only 12 years old and he was alone. Thanks to Emirates, they looked after my son.' Ahmad added: 'It was so terrible but I was with Emirates and they wanted to take care of me.'
Also on the same Emirates flight were a couple and their three-year-old daughter who had camped out in an abandoned nightclub at the airport. Ourania Righelato, 32, from Barnet, north London, described sleeping on the floor the first night before staff provided beds. She said: 'We had no idea when we would come home at all.'
Air travel in the Middle East has been severely disrupted since Saturday after US and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks. Thousands of flights have been cancelled. Magda Papadimitriou, 40, from Greece, who was stuck in Dubai for five days, said: 'It was very scary. Dubai doesn't have shelters... we wanted to go home because we feel safe there.'
