A British couple have described being “stranded in paradise” due to Foreign Office advice against travel to Dubai.
Jeff and Wendy Spencer, from Surrey, left the UK on 31 January for a month-long tour to New Zealand.
They added a three-night stay in Bali on their way back. Their homebound flights from the island were booked for 6 March on Emirates via Dubai to London Heathrow.
But that plan was scuppered by Iran’s response to the US-Israel attack. Tehran’s retaliation included launching missiles and drones against key UAE infrastructure, with Dubai airport among the targets.
Airspace was temporarily closed across the UAE and other Gulf nations, wrecking the travel plans of an estimated half-million passengers per day.
Tens of thousands of British holidaymakers are currently stranded across Asia, Australasia and Africa after wholesale flight cancellations by Emirates Etihad and Qatar Airways.
Emirates has been swift to restore flights from Bali to its UAE hub. An Airbus A380 “SuperJumbo” flies daily from the island direct to Dubai – with onward connections to most of the airports that Emirates serves in the UK.
Tickets to the UK are readily available from the airline’s website for around £700 one way. Passengers such as Mr and Ms Spencer, whose earlier reservations were cancelled, are able to switch to one of the restored flights free of charge.
Emirates has confirmed to The Independent: “We are accepting passengers transiting through Dubai as long as their connecting flight is also operating.”
But Wendy Spencer, 72, said: “We have been told by our tour company that we have to wait for them to ensure that they have a flight path that does not go through the Middle East.”
The couple were told by the firm, Lancashire-based Distant Journeys, they cannot fly via Dubai because Foreign Office advice warns against all non-essential travel to the UAE.
Travel firms are expected to comply with FCDO warnings. The Foreign Office makes an exception for “airside transit” in some locations where it warns against travel, including parts of Mexico and Ecuador. But for the Gulf nations, passengers who simply want to change planes are seen as going against official government advice – which will render their travel insurance invalid.
The travel insurer True Traveller is telling policy holders: “If you travel against FCDO advice and your policy excludes such travel, claims arising from that decision may not be covered.”
Jeff Spencer, 75, told The Independent: “Normally you’re there for what, two hours max? We almost certainly would be home already if the Foreign Office had said transit is OK.
“OK, there are risks. They can spell that out quite clearly for people. People can take their own choice, and then our company could give us a choice: ‘Do you want to take the risk or not?’
“I suspect that 90 per cent of the people in our group would say: ‘Get us on the plane’.”
Under the Package Travel Regulations, Distant Journeys is obliged to pay for up to three nights’ accommodation in the event of disruption. The company actually provided six nights in the luxury Merusaka Nusa Dua resort for the Spencers, but the couple are now paying for their stay.
Mr Spencer said: “Whilst to many being stuck in Bali due to the ongoing conflict may sound like paradise, I can assure you the feeling wears off in the rainy season nine days into a three-day stopover.”
“It’s been living out of a suitcase largely, waiting for information day by day.
“That’s been the frustrating part of it: you can’t really organise long tours out to visit Bali while you’re still expecting to pack your suitcase that night and get on a flight.
“It feels like Hotel California – you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
A spokesperson for Distant Journeys said: “The closure of Gulf airspace continues to disrupt the industry, with thousands of holidaymakers stranded overseas. Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our customers, ensuring customers can return home to the UK as quickly and safely as possible, and our team has been working around the clock reviewing every available flight option.
“In line with FCDO advice, we are not routing customers through parts of the Middle East where all but essential travel is advised, even if airlines are operating services. As a responsible UK tour operator, we take our duty of care seriously and will always prioritise our customers’ safety when making those decisions.
“Because of this, scheduled flight options that avoid routing through the Middle East are currently extremely limited. In response, we have been working continuously to secure safe alternatives, including arranging a dedicated charter flight from Colombo to the UK on an Airbus A350.
“This is a complex and costly operational effort to reposition customers from several countries across Asia into Sri Lanka so they can be brought home together, working closely with our trusted partners on the ground.
“At the same time, our teams have been supporting customers in resort while onward travel arrangements are being finalised. ”
With hundreds of clients stranded across south Asia, and seats on scheduled airlines that avoid the Gulf in extremely short supply, the travel firm has
Mr and Ms Spencer, along with other customers, will be flown the 2,700 mies to Sri Lanka on commercial airlines.
The Foreign Office does not currently regard changing planes at Gulf hubs as safe. The Independent understands there are no plans to ease the travel advice to allow for airside transit at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
An FCDO spokesperson said: “The safety and security of British nationals across the region remain our top priority. We will continue to monitor the security situation and will always prioritise safety.”
Hear more: Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler on how the Gulf crisis compares with previous travel shutdowns
