Middle East conflict throws Dubai into chaos: Brits brace for mass exodus as airlines cancel flights and issue travel warnings – amid fears regional unrest will hit the tourist hotspot

The looming threat of all-out war in the Middle East has thrown Dubai into chaos, with flights grounded or delayed as the British prepare for a mass exodus from the expat paradise.

The news comes as the world holds its breath in anticipation of an expected retaliatory strike by Israel against Iran following Tehran’s unprecedented missile attack on Tuesday evening.

The Iranians fired as many as 180 ballistic missiles in response to Israel’s continued attacks on the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, with dramatic images showing some rain falling on Israeli neighborhoods and military sites.

Although it is generally considered ineffective and most of the munitions were shot down by Israel’s hi-tech Iron Dome air defense system, the attack was a major escalation and has brought the tinderbox region to the brink of war.

An Israeli counterattack could come as early as this evening, defense sources have warned, with missiles hitting Iranian oil fields, military bases and even key nuclear facilities.

And as the crisis deepens, major airlines such as Emirates and Flydubai have now canceled flights from Dubai to Britain, Oman and Kuwait, as well as to Iraq, Iran and Jordan, amid fears that passenger planes could be caught in the crossfire.

Disruption is expected today and Saturday, with the news coming as a huge blow to tourists flying into Dubai – which is immediately south of Iran – or returning home from lavish trips to the Middle Eastern wonder.

“Customers traveling via Dubai with final destinations in Iraq, Iran and Jordan will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin until further notice,” Emirates warned in a travel update.

The chaos comes as former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak predicted that the IDF could carry out a large-scale airstrike on critical Iranian oil refineries and possibly a symbolic attack on a military target linked to Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Israel has a compelling need, even an imperative, to respond. I don’t think any sovereign nation on earth could fail to respond,” Barak said in an interview.

The ex-prime minister, who also served as defense minister, foreign minister and army chief of staff, warned that the model for Israel’s response can be seen in Sunday’s retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi-controlled oil facilities, power plants and docks in the Yemeni port city. Hodeidah, a day after Houthi fired rockets targeting Israel’s international airport outside Tel Aviv.

“I think we’ll see something like that. It could be a massive attack, and it could be repeated more than once,” he told the BBC Guardian.

President Joe Biden said on Thursday that there had been discussions in Washington about a possible Israeli attack on Iran’s oil sector, but gave no clear indication whether the US would support such an attack.

And as tensions continued to rise, panicked travel companies tried to ground flights to the region.

It followed chilling footage earlier this week from the cockpit of a plane hovering over the Middle East as Iranian missiles streaked through the skies below.

Other passenger airlines have changed their routes, causing delays.

Planes normally flew over Germany, Austria and the Balkans to Turkey, flying across the country and turning southeast after passing Syria. Depending on the airline and its policy, the usual route is via Iraq or Iran to the Gulf.

However, since airspace was closed following the Iranian missile attack, planes have been taking longer routes, with some flying over the Mediterranean Sea and Egypt before flying over the Red Sea and then east over Saudi Arabia.

A host of airlines have already suspended flights in the region, with Europe’s largest budget airline Ryanair canceling flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26, while EasyJet will not resume flights to the Israel city until March 30, 2025.

Airlines flying from Europe to the Gulf from Tuesday to Wednesday also experienced serious disruptions, the Independent reported, with Emirates and Qatar Airways – the Middle East’s two biggest airlines – diverting dozens of flights, the Said independently.

The closed airspace over Iraq and Iran saw some unusual maneuvers, including an Air France plane from Paris to Mumbai turning over northern Iraq and flying back to Charles de Gaulle airport.

Meanwhile, British Airways was also affected: a plane from London Heathrow to Dubai diverted to Larnaca in Cyprus to refuel late in its journey, and a Singapore-Heathrow flight diverted to Dubai because the normal route was closed.

So far the Foreign Office has not warned Britons not to travel to the UAE. However, it has urged British nationals to remain vigilant, adding that ‘ongoing hostilities between Israel and Lebanon could rapidly escalate and pose risks to the wider region’.

The government has also warned holidaymakers traveling to the region that “terrorists are likely to attempt to carry out attacks” on destinations that welcome millions of tourists every year.

It means popular areas such as transport networks, beaches, hotels, restaurants and shopping centers could be at risk of attack.

Flights from Dubai to the UAE capital Abu Dhabi are still operational despite the disruptions.

It comes after terrifying footage was captured from the cockpit of a plane flying over the Middle East, showing the moment a barrage of Iranian missiles was launched into the night sky on Tuesday evening as Tehran fired projectiles into Israel.

According to the New York Post, the video – which shows missiles being launched from the area around Shiraz, Iran – was captured by the pilot of a Dubai-bound flight.

Although none of the missiles came into contact with the plane, it is clear how close they were to the aircraft, indicating that Iran did not ensure its airways were clear before launching its attack on Israel.

As a result, airlines rushed to divert their flights to the Middle East, while Iranian missiles flew towards Israel around 7:30 PM local time.

Flight trackers showed a clearing in the airspace between Iran and Israel as planes flew around both countries to avoid the crossfire.