British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights cancelled as warning issued to passengers | Travel News | Travel
BA has grounded flights (Image: Getty)
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have grounded flights to the Middle East, with passengers warned that other services could face disruption. Flights in and out of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports in the city have been suspended.
Emirates said it suspended all operations in and out of Dubai until 3pm (1pm BST) on Sunday due to airspace closures across the Middle East. Etihad suspended flights out of Abu Dhabi until 2pm (12pm). British Airways cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday, adding that services between Heathrow Airport and Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Amman, Dubai or Tel Aviv could be affected for days.
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Virgin Atlantic said it would suspend flights between Heathrow and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, on Sunday.
The Foreign Office on Saturday urged British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to register their presence with the UK Government to receive updates on the situation in the Middle East.
It came as US and Israeli forces attacked Iran on Saturday morning in what the two countries described as a “pre-emptive” strike against an Iranian government intent on developing nuclear weapons.
The attack prompted retaliation from Iran, with missiles targeting Israel and locations across the Middle East, including Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Qatar.
The Foreign Office website also warned UK nationals in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait to “immediately shelter in place”.
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Smoke billows across Manama amid an Iranian missile strike on Bahrain (Image: Getty)
Wizz Air, meanwhile, confirmed flights from London Luton to Tel Aviv, and from Tel Aviv to London Luton, are being suspended until and including March 7.
A spokesperson for the carrier said: “The airline is closely monitoring developments and remains in ongoing contact with local and international authorities, aviation safety agencies, security authorities, and relevant governmental bodies.
“Operational decisions will continue to be reviewed, and the flight schedule may be adjusted as the situation evolves.”
Hundreds of thousands of travelers were either stranded or diverted to other airports after Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain closed their airspace on Saturday.
Air India cancelled all flights to Middle East destinations. Turkish Airlines said flights to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Jordan were suspended until Monday and flights to Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman were suspended.
Henry Harteveldt, an airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, said yesterday: “For travelers, there’s no way to sugarcoat this. You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end.”
He added: “If you haven’t left home, chances are you won’t be leaving home if you’re supposed to travel to or through these destinations for at least several days, if not longer. And if you are returning home, you will have to be very creative about how you get home.”
