Thousands of Britons have been left stranded in the Middle East after global airlines grounded hundreds of flights due to US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Iran and Iraq’s airspaces were closed due to the escalating military action, which has seen blasts reported in multiple countries across the region, and Dubai International Airport, the biggest global aviation hub, suspended all flights on Saturday.
Martin Boreham, who had been on holiday in Dubai with his wife, was due to get the 13:10 British Airways flight back to Heathrow when the captain told the passengers the airspace had been closed.
Mr Boreham spoke to The Independent just after he had disembarked the flight, which stood on the tarmac for three hours. He said: “We were all ready to go, sat there for about 15 minutes, and then the captain came on and said that the airspace was shut. We were on the plane for three hours. We’ve actually just got off and been given instructions to go back into immigration. It’s carnage here.
“British Airways have told us: ‘Go to immigration, pick up your bags and then you’ll get a text message’, which seems a bit wishy washy to be honest. I’m a bit concerned about that.”
He said he would book a hotel once he got out of Dubai airport, but he has no idea how or when he will be able to leave the country. He said: “My biggest concern now is we just don’t know when we’re going to get out. It could be Monday, it could be a week Monday. Nobody knows what’s going on.
“It’s 90 degrees today if that helps, but I’m ready to come home. We’ve been here a week on holiday, we’ve been coming here for 30 years. It’s all a bit discombobulated at the moment, because I don’t think that anyone’s been in this situation before.”
Mr Boreham, who is now retired and has been travelling to Dubai for 30 years, added that when he and his wife stepped off their flight, they realised they now faced queueing with hundreds of other people through immigration and baggage handling. “It’s not just BA, it’s every single flight that was due to leave. So it’s chaos here, just imagine 100 flights getting off at once. It’s hundreds of people, I’ve never seen the airport like it.”
On a typical day, around 250,000 passengers arrive and depart at Dubai. Qatar Airways has also suspended all flights to and from its base in Doha hub.
BBC producer Elliot Worthing was flying home to Manchester from Doha on Qatar Airways but was diverted to Muscat in Oman on Saturday morning after Qatar’s airspace was shut.
He told The Independent that passengers were told about the attacks in Qatar once they landed, and have since disembarked the flight to be taken to a hotel.
Mr Worthing said there was initially panic when the flight first touched down, with passengers trying to find out whether Oman was a safe place to be, adding: “It’s not the case of a delayed flight. It’s a case of an attack.”
He said he was worried he might be stranded in Muscat for several days.
“I’ve got work on Monday. I’m sure everyone else has as well,” he said. “I’m not thinking it’s going to be a long day. I’m thinking it’s going to be a long few days, possibly even a week. I’m even beginning to think a bit longer than that.”
Jonny Escott, 30, who has lived in Dubai for the past five years, was scheduled to fly home on Emirates from Newcastle at 13:10 on Saturday with his partner Rebecca.
He told The Independent that check-in wasn’t open when he got to Newcastle airport for his flight back home. “We knew what was going on, so then we were waiting around. At about 12, my sister-in-law who works for Emirates let us know that the flight had been cancelled. We got told at the airport five minutes later. The Emirates staff said that it looks like two flights will go out on Monday, but I don’t think anyone has a clue what will happen over the next few days.”
Mr Escott and his partner have gone back to stay with family in Hartlepool while they wait to find out what might happen.
Speaking about the situation back in Dubai, he said: “Everything’s on shutdown from what we’ve been told, it’s pretty scary. It’s hard for everyone and it’s such a unique situation. Emirates are doing their best but no-one has a clue what’s going to happen next.”
