Iran-Israel conflict leaves UAE passengers stranded after Eid break

• Flight cancellations following Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel have left some passengers stranded.
• UAE-based travel agencies have been rescheduling flights and ensuring passenger safety.
• Some flights were canceled, while others were rerouted or diverted.

The cancellation of some flights left some passengers who were scheduled to fly back after the Eid Al Fitr holidays stranded, following Iran’s drone and missile attack against Israel on early Sunday. UAE-based travel agencies have had a busy weekend rescheduling flights and ensuring the safety of their passengers after the attack forced several countries to shut down their airspace. As the crisis unfolded late early Sunday, some flights were canceled, while others were rerouted or diverted.

The closure has brought a variety of issues for Dubai-based Smart Travels.

“We had a passenger who was due to fly from Doha to Amman late yesterday.Safeer Mahamood, general manager at Smart Travels, stated that his flight was diverted and landed back in Doha, so he was unable to travel.

Some of UAE’s residents enjoyed a nine-day long break during Eid Al Fitr and opted to vacation abroad to short-haul destinations.

“We have a group of 25 people traveling to Amman later this month… We have been getting frantic calls since morning about the status of that trip. Since this is a developing situation, we are still monitoring it and waiting for updates,” he added.

Another travel agency reported similar troubles. “We had a corporate group traveling on a company holiday,” said Fardan Hanif, director of Deira travel. “They were en route to their destination when their plane landed at Istanbul airport. They had to cancel their trip and are now on their way back to Dubai.”

Avinash Adnani, managing director of Pluto Travels, stated that the situation and real impact of the Iran-Israel conflict will become clearer by tomorrow evening when businesses resume and people make decisions about their travel plans.

“Some flights were canceled and rerouted. But it’s more of an operational problem as of now. Airspaces were closed in a couple of countries and they were also reopened later. We’ll come to know by Monday evening whether people are canceling or rescheduling their tickets,” he added.

Reena Philip, general manager for AirTravel Enterprises, Dubai, stated that they are also receiving calls from people asking about flight cancellations. However, airlines have not sent any official statements to travel agencies due to the week-long holiday in the UAE. Philip anticipates some cancellations or rescheduling of family trips in the coming days as people may choose not to travel to or fly past destinations that are closer to a war zone.

“We do have groups and packages to Georgia and Armenia etc. So we’ll come to know in the coming days,” she said.