Dubai travel warning as airline passengers face flight disruption amid Middle East conflict
A travel expert has warned that anyone travelling to destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi may face disruption due to the ongoing conflict
by Sonia Sharma · ChronicleLiveTravellers planning to go to Dubai are being warned of possible flight disruption as the conflict in the Middle East continues.
The warning comes amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon. The UK Government is urging British nationals in Lebanon to "leave immediately" and is continuing efforts to help Britons in the area.
More than 150 British nationals and dependants left Beirut on the first Government-chartered flight on Wednesday, with another plane touching down in Birmingham on Thursday, as concerns mount over how long the capital's airport can remain open. Israel launched a ground incursion into Lebanon on Tuesday and its forces have been clashing with Hezbollah militants in a narrow strip along the border.
Strikes in Lebanon by Israel before the incursion killed long-time Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and many other top commanders. Israel is also still considering how to retaliate to Iran's ballistic missile barrage earlier this week.
Israel carried out a series of air strikes overnight in southern suburbs of Beirut and another that cut off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. G7 leaders have renewed calls for a cessation of hostilities in the region, warning of a "dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation" leading to "uncontrollable" escalation.
Now a travel expert has warned anyone travelling to destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi may face disruption due to the conflict. Travel journalist Simon Calder wrote on X: "The unfolding human tragedy in Lebanon and beyond has many repercussions.
"One aspect: flight disruption as planes detour. Connections in Dubai or Doha can be timed as short as 60 minutes. If your flight takes an hour longer than expected, that's a problem."
Reporting in The Independent, Simon said airlines flying from Europe to the Gulf on Tuesday night into Wednesday experienced severe disruption. He said "the remarkable, unrelenting choreography that allows millions of passengers to connect every day at Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and many other hubs is under severe strain as a result of the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Lebanon."
He explained that with Russian and Ukrainian skies closed to Western aircraft, the options for flying from Europe to Asia "seem to be narrowing by the day". Airlines flying from Europe to the Gulf on Tuesday night into Wednesday experienced severe disruption, with airlines diverting dozens of flights, he added.
The UK Foreign Office says on its website: "Ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could escalate quickly and pose risks for the wider region. Monitor this travel advice and other media as the situation is changing fast."
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