Dhabi

Travel in the region continues to be severely disrupted

Travel expert Simon Calder has shared his thoughts on the prospect of ‘normality’ returning to airports in the Middle East. Flights to and from the region continue to be severely disrupted in the wake of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

A multitude of flights to and from Dubai, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi – all three being vital transport hubs for individuals travelling to and from the Gulf and Asia – have been cancelled. Approximately half a million passengers typically utilise these airports daily.

More than 37,000 Brits have made their way back to the UK from the Middle East since the crisis response commenced, with it believed that tens of thousands more remain stranded.

Mr Calder has been regularly updating on the crisis, which began on February 28. He stated that whilst he anticipates an increase in the number of flights departing from the region, there’s no definitive end to the disruption in sight.

“There are tickets now being sold by Etihad out of Abu Dhabi,” he revealed. “Which is an interesting development. On top of that, I expect there to be a ramp-up in flights out of Doha and out of Dubai, but at the moment we are still a long way away from anything that could be described as normality, whatever that looks like.

“You know, the idea that you have half a million people flying to, through, and from the three big hubs of Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi every day. And it’s an interesting question as to what on earth happens when, of course, the war is finally over, which cannot come soon enough. But anyway, so I hope that people will be able to get out.”

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On Monday, 16 out of the 18 scheduled flights from the UK to Qatar were cancelled due to ongoing airspace closures, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Eleven out of 33 flights from the UK to the United Arab Emirates – encompassing Dubai and Abu Dhabi – were also scrapped. It’s anticipated that clearing the backlog of stranded passengers caused by the conflict will take weeks.

“British Airways has taken the view that we’re not going into Dubai or Abu Dhabi or Doha,” Mr Calder explained. “If you want to fly out, we’re happy to do that, but we’re going to be arranging flights from Muscat and looking at Friday night’s Virgin Atlantic flight to Dubai, that was arguably a good call because the effect was that the flight got to within maybe a couple of hundred miles of Dubai over Saudi Arabia and then turned around because of the attack on Dubai airport.

“It flew back, couldn’t get all the way back, went to Budapest to refuel and then continued to Heathrow. So it was roughly, I think, something like an 18-hour flight to nowhere.”

Specialist Claer Barrett issued the advice to concerned people who have flights in the area booked

A travel specialist is calling on Brits to stay calm and follow crucial guidance if their travel arrangements have been jeopardised due to the US-Israel military action against Iran. Travel chaos continues to plague the Middle East as Iran launches counter-attacks.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 Britons were left stranded in the area as airports including Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai shut down operations because of the hostilities. More than 2,000 passengers landed in the UK on evacuation flights from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, according to Government officials.

Questions persist about the duration of the conflict, casting doubt over numerous travellers’ plans given the crucial role of Gulf airports as connection hubs for journeys to Asia and Australasia. Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine, specialist Claer Barrett delivered ‘vital’ guidance for those planning to travel in the near future.

She stated: “My big message to everyone watching is don’t panic and hit the cancel button, because if you cancel a flight, a holiday, whatever, yourself, you won’t have as many rights as if the airline cancels the flight.

“Let’s start off with flights,” she went on. “So if an airline cancels your flight, as long as you’re flying with a UK airline or departing or flying back to a UK or EU airport, you’re legally entitled to choose. So if they cancel you, you can say, ‘Well, I want a refund, I want my money back,’ or, ‘I want a different flight with a different airline, I want to be rerouted’ or offered assistance if you were stuck somewhere. So it’s important not to cancel yourself.

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“But if your upcoming holiday is in the affected area, the advice from Which?, the big consumer website, is monitor the airline’s website to determine whether your plans are going to be affected, because lots of different places are or aren’t.

“Keep an eye on the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office website, that’s the FCDO, they’re the people who can issue ‘do not travel’ warnings. And for goodness’ sake, make sure that you’ve got your travel insurance in place when you book your holiday.

“This is the advice that me and other consumer experts give, because something could happen before you go and you’d need to make a claim.”

Package holidays

Package breaks – where holidaymakers purchase their flights and lodging in a single booking from the same provider – are frequently more economical and generally regarded as being a more secure choice. The explanation for this is that numerous packages are safeguarded by the Atol scheme or the Package Travel Regulations (PRTs).

Any package holiday booked in the UK automatically comes with the protection of the PTRs, whilst package holidays that include a flight are safeguarded by Atol. All travel firms selling package holidays with flights to UK customers are legally obliged to hold an Atol licence.

This ensures people are brought home during a crisis. When the original Thomas Cook went under in 2019, nearly 150,000 holidaymakers were flown back by the UK government in the largest repatriation in the UK’s peacetime history.

You will also receive a refund if your package holiday is cancelled, and be compensated if various factors result in a subpar trip.

“So we’ve covered flights, but package holidays, you’re much better protected with a package holiday because most of them, anyway, are reaching out proactively, I’m hearing, to customers who do have packages booked to the Middle East,” Claer continued.

“And most of them are offering people for no charge the ability to either move their holiday dates or, in many cases, change destination, you know, so you still have your holiday but you go somewhere else. So speak to your tour operator and see what they can do for you.”