Airlines are continuing to cancel and divert flights serving the Middle East after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are among carriers to have grounded flights, with flights in and out of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airport in Dubai suspended.
The Foreign Office is warning British citizens against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Those already there have been advised to shelter.
This came after Iran launched retaliatory attacks on the Gulf states.
Long-haul travel is being affected more widely and Heathrow has urged travellers to check with their airlines.
One person has been killed and 11 others were injured at airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Four of those injuries were among members of staff at Dubai International.
Emirates has suspended its operations in and out of Dubai until 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Monday due to airspace closures across the region, while Etihad has suspended flights out of Abu Dhabi until 02:00 local time.
British Airways has cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday.
It said services between Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv could be affected for several days.
Richard and Hannah from London had been en route to Oman but are now stuck in Bahrain.
“In the early hours of this morning a drone attacked the airport so we can’t reach Oman this evening as planned,” Hannah said on Sunday, describing an “uneasy 24 hours”.
Given the situation in the region could escalate, they are now looking to return home, Richard said.
Virgin Atlantic said it was suspending services between Heathrow and Riyadh on Sunday, after earlier cancelling flights from Heathrow to Dubai on Saturday and Sunday.
It has warned that flights to India, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives may take longer due to them being rerouted around the affected region.
Virgin is among airlines across Europe, Asia and the Middle East that have had to cancel or reroute flights to avoid the closed or restricted airspace.
Airspaces over Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria and the UAE remain closed on Sunday morning, while there is a partial closure in Saudi Arabia. Jordanian and Lebanese airspace remains open but there is limited flight activity.
Tracking shows flights between Europe and Asia travelling via Saudi Arabia or the Caucasus.
Emma Belcher and her husband Vic were on their way back to Heathrow from a holiday in the Maldives via Dubai when their connecting flight was cancelled.
“There is absolutely no information about when they might open airspace so we don’t know how long we’ll be here,” she said.
“We were really looking forward to getting home to see the children as we haven’t been away without them before.”
Steve Rudderham and his wife had been on their way to the Maldives to celebrate their wedding anniversary and are still in Doha where they had bee due to have a stopover.
“As the days go on and the vacation is eroded, we’re looking at plans to just to get back home,” he said.
Reuters
Qatar Airways confirmed the temporary suspension of flights in and out of the capital, Doha, due to the closure of Qatari airspace, saying operations would resume at 19:00 local time on Sunday (16:00 GMT).
John Henry, 71, from Northampton, who is on holiday in Qatar, was at a shopping centre when they received an air raid alert on Saturday.
“We heard a bit of a thud and felt a tremor, and we saw a number of people moving quickly out of the shopping centre,” he told the BBC.
Qatar’s defence ministry said it had intercepted Iranian missiles after explosions were heard in Doha.
As a result of the disruption:
- Aegean Airlines, Greece’s largest carrier, suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut and Erbil until Monday
- Air Astana has cancelled all flights to the Middle East until the end of Tuesday
- Air Canada cancelled flights to Dubai until Tuesday, and to Israel until next Sunday
- Spanish carrier Air Europa cancelled services to Tel Aviv until at least Monday
- Air India has cancelled flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Amritsar to a number of destinations including London, New York and Paris
- Azerbaijan Airlines has suspended flights in and out of Dubai, Doha, Jeddah and Tel Aviv
- FlyDubai suspended flights to and from Dubai until 15:00 local time (11:00 GMT) on Monday
- Indian airline Indigo has cancelled dozens of flights until Tuesday due to the airspace restrictions
- ITA Airways suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv and said it would avoid Israeli, Lebanese, Jordanian, Iraqi and Iranian airspace until next Saturday
- KLM cancelled services to Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh, having already suspended its Amsterdam-Tel Aviv service
- LOT suspended flights to Tel Aviv until 15 March, and cancelled flights to Dubai and Riyadh until Monday
- Lufthansa has suspended services to and from Tel Aviv, Beirut and Oman until next Saturday, and flights in and out of Dubai on Sunday
- Norwegian Air suspended all flights to Dubai until Wednesday
- Pegasus Airlines cancelled all services to Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon on Sunday
- Turkish Airlines has cancelled flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan on Sunday
- Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up until and including next Saturday
The UAE also said it had intercepted Iranian missiles and drones, while footage appears to show the moment a US facility in Bahrain was hit.
Kuwait said it had been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones. Explosions were heard at Erbil airport in Iraq early on Sunday morning.
The UK Foreign Office is warning “against all travel to Israel and Palestine”, and against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE. British people in those countries can register their presence to receive direct updates.
UK nationals in Saudi Arabia have been told to “remain indoors in a secure location”, while those in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Turkey and Oman have been instructed to “remain vigilant” and take shelter if advised to do so.
The Foreign Office has urged people in Pakistan to be careful around protests, demonstrations, rallies and religious gatherings, after deadly pro-Iran protests broke out in several cities. It also instructed staff in the country to restrict their movements.
US President Donald Trump cited a failure to reach an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear programme and regime change as among the reasons for launching the attack.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Trump on Saturday, having earlier said that British planes were “in the sky” over the Middle East as part of a defensive operation “to protect our people, our interests and our allies”.
Along with the leaders of France and Germany, he urged Iran to refrain from “indiscriminate” strikes.
