Stranded British citizens in the Middle East are making efforts to leave amidst ongoing missile and drone attacks orchestrated by the remaining leadership in Iran.
Although a few flights are scheduled to transport stranded Brits back to the UK on Tuesday, most departures from the region are currently suspended. Emirates has arranged two flights to Heathrow, one to Gatwick, and another to Manchester. Some of these flights will utilize the airline’s large A380 jets, capable of accommodating up to 615 passengers depending on seating arrangements. Normally, Emirates operates 146 weekly flights to the UK, approximately 21 flights per day.
Etihad Airways plans to operate a single flight bound for the UK on Tuesday, departing from Abu Dhabi and landing at Heathrow using a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner with 336 passenger seats.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways, known for its services between Qatar and Heathrow and Gatwick, announced that its operations are currently halted due to the closure of Qatari airspace.
British Airways has canceled its scheduled flights to Heathrow from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, and Dubai on Tuesday. The airline emphasized passenger safety as its top priority and assured travelers that flights would only operate when deemed safe. Passengers with bookings on certain routes until March 15 are allowed to reschedule their flights until March 29.
Virgin Atlantic also canceled a flight from Dubai to Heathrow. Ongoing tensions between Iran, the US, and their allies have led to extensive airspace closures in the Middle East, causing significant disruptions to flight schedules.
Daily, around half a million travelers pass through airports in Dubai, Doha, or Abu Dhabi, critical transit points for connecting Europe with Asia and Australia. It is anticipated that clearing the backlog of stranded passengers will require several days.
