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Simon Calder said it ‘possibly points the way forward’ but there was still a long way to go

A travel expert has provided an update on when flights to and from the Middle East might resume normal service. Flights continue to be severely disrupted due to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which started over the weekend.

It is estimated that around 300,000 Brits are currently in the Gulf region. Airspace closures in the Middle East have led to numerous commercial flights being grounded, with over a third of today’s (Monday, March 2) scheduled flights to the area cancelled.

Major airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar Airways, Etihad, and Emirates are among those to have cancelled flights. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is presently advising against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates.

Travel journalist Simon Calder gave an update on the Independent’s Instagram page about how the situation might unfold. He stated: “Day three of the crisis in the Gulf, which has seen all air operations cease at the key hubs of Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi, and tens of thousands of passengers stranded as a result trying to head back to the UK.

“The latest news is not encouraging from the airlines; Qatar Airways has just said we’re not going to tell you any more updates until Tuesday morning. Emirates says we will not be flying anything before 3:00 on Monday-I think it’s extremely unlikely that that will happen; similar story from Etihad, who are based in Abu Dhabi.

“At the moment, though, obey the Foreign Office advice, and if you are booked to travel on one of those airlines-Emirates, Etihad, or Qatar Airways-your flight will not be operating today, and I fear that it might be some time before we see those planes back in the sky.”

READ MORE: Aviation expert Alex Macheras predicts when Emirates, BA, and Qatar Airways flights might resumeREAD MORE: Travel expert Simon Calder explains when Dubai, Emirates and Qatar flights could resume

It is believed that out of the 300,000 Brits in the region, approximately 100,000 may require evacuation back to the UK. British citizens are being advised to heed the instructions of local authorities and keep a close eye on the Foreign Office’s travel advice, which officials anticipate will change rapidly.

One current proposal is that individuals may be transported overland to countries such as Oman and Saudi Arabia, before catching flights back from there. At present, these countries do not have any travel warnings against them.

Mr Calder added: “One development overnight, though, I think possibly points the way forward. A British Airways Boeing 787 flew out overnight from London Heathrow to Oman and landed at Muscat-that is the airport where there is no Foreign Office warning at the moment.

“It took on board pilots and cabin crew from British Airways who were stranded in the UAE when airspace was closed. Now, you might be thinking, ‘well, why didn’t they bring back any passengers?’ but there’s a good reason for that..

“The Foreign Office says, ‘no, you should not travel anywhere if you are in the UAE”. However, if the crisis drags on-and unfortunately, it shows every sign of doing that-then I fear we are going to be in a situation where the best option is to organise an airlift from Muscat, possibly another one also from Saudi Arabia for people travelling overland from Qatar.”

British Airways has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Bahrain and Amman with passengers offered free changes or refunds – as travellers are warned they may need to ‘get creative’ amid mass disruption

Travellers will need to “get creative” if they want to fly in the coming days, an expert has cautioned, with hundreds of thousands of people stranded or rerouted to alternative airports following widespread airspace closures throughout the Middle East.

Israel, Qatar, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain have all closed their airspaces. Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 recorded no flight activity over the United Arab Emirates, with the UAE government announcing a “temporary and partial closure” of its airspace.

British Airways has confirmed flights to Tel Aviv and Bahrain will remain suspended until next week, whilst flights to Amman, Jordan, were scrapped on Saturday.

READ MORE: Donald Trump tells Iran ‘better not’ strike after Ayatollah Khamenei killedREAD MORE: Dubai airport chaos: Emirates confirms when flights will resume as Brits scramble to flee

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This resulted in the shutdown of crucial hub airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, and the scrapping of over 1,000 flights by leading Middle Eastern carriers, reports the Express.

The three principal airlines operating from those airports – Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad – typically handle approximately 90,000 passengers daily through those hubs, with even greater numbers of travellers bound for Middle Eastern destinations, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Dubai international airport ranks as the world’s busiest airport for international flights.

Aviation industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group Henry Harteveldt said, via AP: “For travellers, 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.

“Travellers should anticipate that there will be a lot of disruptions,” he said, before adding: “To be honest, 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.”

BRITISH AIRWAYS: FULL STATEMENT ON FLIGHTS TO AND FROM THE MIDDLE EAST.

BA released an official statement on its website late on Saturday (February 28) for passengers who may be affected by the rapidly developing situation in the Middle East.

Here is the statement in full:. “We are closely monitoring the situation and have cancelled a number of our flights to the Middle East. Safety is always our top priority and we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so.

“If you are due to fly between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv you can change your flight free of charge up to and including 6 March. Customers travelling up to and including 4 March may also request a full refund.

“Should you wish to do so, please ring our contact centres on 0800 727 800 within the UK or 020 3250 0145 where a member of our team will be happy to assist. You can also find useful information, including details of your consumer rights, at ba.com/helpme..

“Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to welcoming you on board soon.”

BA’s statement comes as airlines serving the Middle East cancelled or diverted flights en masse on Saturday in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes against on Iran.

Iran hit back by launching a wave of attacks, targeting Israel and four Gulf Arab nations hosting US military bases – Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air were amongst the carriers to reduce their schedules to Middle Eastern destinations, citing safety concerns. The UK Foreign Office urged British nationals in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to immediately shelter in place following explosions.

UK Foreign Office issues advice for Britons trapped in Dubai.

For any Britons currently in the UAE, the Foreign Office released new guidance overnight.

All citizens already present in the UAE are strongly encouraged to notify the UK government by registering their presence to receive further updates as the situation continues to develop across the Middle East. “Due to reported missile attacks, British nationals in the UAE should immediately shelter in place. Remain indoors in a secure location, avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities.”

The FDCO also advised British nationals in the UAE to take sensible precautions, taking into account their own personal circumstances.

• – Read the UK Government’s fact sheet If you’re affected by a crisis abroad. This includes guidance on how to prepare for a crisis with suggestions on what you might include in your emergency supplies and what to do in a crisis.
• – Follow advice from the local authorities and sign up to receive information and alerts. Read the FDCO fact sheet: National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority’s guidance across numerous emergencies.
• – Sign up to FCDO Travel Advice to get email notifications on updates as they happen.

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Paul says the flight attendant admitted it was ‘unacceptable’

A vegan plane passenger has slammed Virgin Atlantic after being served ‘the worst meal’ he’s ever had – a pitiful sandwich with three slices of ‘mouldy’ veg. Paul Booker was flying from Cancun, Mexico, to London Heathrow after a 10-day holiday with his friend.

The 55-year-old was towards the end of his 10-hour flight when he was served breakfast, included as part of the flight, and opted for the vegan sandwich. However, when he was given the meal, Paul was appalled at the standard and quality of what he was served, and claims a red-faced flight attendant said it was ‘unacceptable’.

Shocking photos show two slices of courgette and a solitary slice of ‘rotten-looking’ pepper slapped on the bread. Retired civil servant Paul, who has been vegan for 10 years, claims he was left hungry after being served the ‘pitiful’ sarnie on the £600 flight, with the only alternative being a fruit salad pot.

Virgin Atlantic have apologised and said all customers, including those with specific dietary requirements, ‘should receive food that meets our usual high standards’. Paul, from Minehead, Somerset, said: “There was no way that was going anywhere near my mouth because it looked like it was rotten.

“I have had bad food on a flight before but not from this country but this was a joke. I showed it to my friend, and to be honest it was almost like shock laughter. The first thought was how little there was in there, it wasn’t until then we looked at it closer and we saw the state of the vegetables that were in there and [I felt] just disgust, absolute disgust.

“It is certainly up there as the worst meal I have ever had, it’s certainly the worst offering I have ever had.”

Disgusted, Paul showed the sandwich to the flight attendant who he claims was embarrassed by it before handing him a pot of fruit salad instead. Paul said: “I called her [the flight attendant] over and I said ‘is this all you’ve got? Have you got an alternative I can have?’ and I showed her and she was absolutely shocked by that.

“She looked at it and said, ‘that’s terrible, that’s not acceptable at all’ and to contact Virgin when I got home. It had this amusing writing on the box, ‘we found love in a hungry place’. I thought ‘there’s an irony for you’. I certainly didn’t find love there, but I was certainly in the hungry place, it was more of a kick in the teeth.

“Then in front of me, thin strips of courgette and a bit of pepper that just looks rotten. The problem is that when you are on a flight they only take a limited amount of food with them and then they will only take a limited amount of specialist meals with them.

“If that meal isn’t quality checked before they send it out onto the plane and you are 10,000 feet in the air then you haven’t got any other choice.”

Disgusted, Paul shared a picture of his sarnie on social media branding it ‘pitiful’ and ‘mouldy’. Paul wrote: “This was the pitiful vegan offering that I got on a £600 Virgin Atlantic flight from Cancun to London today.

“The piece of red pepper actually looks mouldy. Even the stewardess was shocked, and seemed genuinely embarrassed. Needless to say, I didn’t eat it!”

After lodging a complaint Paul was offered a £100 voucher to use on Virgin holidays and flights. Paul said: “£100 isn’t going to go anywhere on a Virgin holiday or flight. I just wanted some acknowledgement from their in-flight catering team, and something properly financial would be nice.

“Something to make me feel a bit more valued. Their £100 voucher, not only is it not a lot of benefit to me but also doesn’t cost them anything. They could’ve given me £500 and it wouldn’t be a drop in the ocean to them.”

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “We never want to disappoint our customers, which is why it’s disheartening to hear that Mr Booker was unhappy with the meal served on his flight from Cancun to London Heathrow. All customers, including those with specific dietary requirements, should receive food that meets our usual high standards.

“We take complaints like this seriously and we have offered Mr Booker a £100 voucher. We have also shared all feedback with our catering teams to ensure standards are upheld.”