British Airways has cancelled all flights into Dubai until June, blaming “continued uncertainty” and “airspace instability” in the Gulf. The flag carrier airline has also suspended travel to Bahrain, Tel Aviv and Amman until May 31, as the conflict in Iran continues to rage. Trips to Doha are similarly on hold until the end of April, while flights to Abu Dhabi aren’t expected to resume until October.

The decision, which marks the most significant airline response to the war in the Middle East, came just hours after Dubai International Airport was shut down following an Iranian drone strike on a fuel storage tank. Emergency crews were called to the scene, and flights were suspended for several hours, with incoming planes diverted to the smaller Al Maktoum International Airport. No injuries have been reported.

A spokesperson for British Airways told the Financial Times the cancellations were in response to “the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability”.

While regional airlines have increased flights in a bid to rescue stranded passengers, using narrow air corridors patrolled by military jets, none of the major European carriers has resumed flights to Dubai since the conflict escalated.

The United Arab Emirates confirmed it had shut down its airspace early on Tuesday morning, before reopening in a bid to enable continued flights from regional long-haul carriers, Emirates and Etihad.

Israel also said it had begun a “wide-scale wave of strikes” on Iran, alongside stepping up attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

It also appears to have strained Sir Keir Starmer’s relationship with US President Donald Trump, who said he was “not happy” with the Prime Minister after Mr Starmer resisted his demands for the UK to join a mission protecting shipping in the Gulf.

In a statement, the Prime Minister said: “We’re working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible and ease the economic impacts.”