Holidaymakers can now flock once again to Dubai as the UK Foreign Office “no longer advises against all but essential travel to UAE”. All non-essential travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was banned back in March, as US and Israeli strikes started to target Iran and the regime retaliated against several Middle Eastern neighbours. Announcing the travel advice update, the FCDO said: “The US and Iran have announced a memorandum of understanding in relation to the conflict in the Middle East.”
The UK Foreign Office, however, also said “the situation remains unpredictable and attacks could resume at short notice”. Dubai and the UAE were directly affected by the conflict back in March. Several drones and missile, suspected to have launched from Iran, hit Dubai and wider UAE territory. On one occasion, all flights to and from Dubai International Airport had to be suspended when a drone attack sparked a huge fire by hitting a fuel tank. No injuries were reported.
A flight from Edinburgh to Dubai was forced to U-turn and land back to the Scottish city’s airport. The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announced the temporary suspension of all flights at Dubai International Airport “as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff”.
Despite the Foreign Office’s decision to lift the travel ban today, some airlines are still maintaining their decision to suspend flights to Dubai. British Airways previously announced that it will continue to halt its flights to the UAE. The airline first suspended flights to the Middle Eastern country after the conflict in Iran broke out in late February, and had planned to resume its schedule from June 1.
But BA said it will not resume flights until after summer, with October 25 now the target. In a statement issued earlier this month, the airline said: “We’re keeping the situation under constant review and are directly in touch with affected customers to offer them a range of options,” the airline said in a statement.
“Since the disruption began, we’ve helped thousands of customers return home, operated relief flights, and added additional capacity on key long‑haul routes. We will continue to assess and introduce further flying where possible.”
It is understood Emirates will continue to operate flights between the UK and the UAE.
The FCDO also dropped its travel warnings against Qatar.
The new updates from the FCDO, however, also said that “should hostilities resume, British nationals should:
- follow advice from the local authorities
- monitor local and international media for the latest information
- stay away from areas around security or military facilities
- keep your departure plans under review, and ensure your travel documents are up to date
- if you are advised to take shelter, stay indoors or find the nearest safe building or designated shelter.
Dubai is an attractive destination for Brits, with 1.4 million UK nationals visiting the city last year alone.
The travel ban and flight disruption have impacted the number of Western tourists to the city over the spring.
