Emiratis and UAE residents have been stranded abroad as governments and airlines cancel flights in response to the Israel-Iran conflict.
The closure of Iranian and Israeli airspace, along with disruptions to other countries in the region, has left travellers to find alternative routes home. The hostilities show no signs of slowing after Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for a strike on its military sites last Friday.
Among those caught in the upheaval is Emirati lawyer Mohammad Al Redha, who travelled to Beirut last Thursday on his first visit since the UAE lifted its travel ban to Lebanon. Mr Al Redha’s return flight with Emirates, scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled less than 12 hours before it was scheduled to take off.
“My return ticket was for Sunday but the airline sent a message before departure that the flight was cancelled,” Mr Al Redha said.
He went to the airport with his friend around midnight on Saturday in the hope of finding any flight leaving Lebanon. When he arrived at the airport, he found it was closed and waited until it reopened at 6am.
“There was panic and everyone was trying to leave," he said. “The Middle East counters were very busy. We managed to get a ticket to Istanbul and then we booked a flight with Emirates to Dubai. We landed safely at Terminal 3 around 12pm on Sunday.
“The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted me when I was in Lebanon and again on arrival. I’m deeply thankful for the UAE’s efforts in looking after its citizens.”
Dubai resident Mohammad Diba is stranded in his native Syria after travelling home to Aleppo for his annual leave. Since then, his flight back to the UAE has been cancelled twice.
“I was travelling back to Dubai when the war unfolded. My flight on Syrian Air was rescheduled for Sunday and later it was cancelled. I don’t know what to do,” he said.
Waiting to return
The 44-year-old, who works in a private company in Dubai, said that he is eager to return to the Emirates and return to work.
“My workplace was supportive and understand the situation but I’m nervous now as it looks like there is no hope of opening the airspace,” he added. “I offered to work online.”
The unexpected delay has cost Mr Diba. He drove for five hours in a rented car at the weekend to reach the airport in Damascus, only to find the flight was suspended which left him no choice but to return to Aleppo.
He made the journey again the next day only to find the flight had been cancelled. “It’s financially and mentally exhausting. I don’t know what to do,” he said.
For Dubai resident Zainab Saeed, a trip to Baghdad on the first day of Eid Al Adha was her first in 27 years after leaving Iraq.
“I was eager to see Baghdad after all this time and I left with my husband. We were supposed to return on June 15 when the airspace was closed,” the 47-year-old said.
Air Arabia sent a message to her husband notifying them that the return flight to Sharjah was cancelled. “They didn’t provide any alternatives or explanation,” she said. This led to the couple trying to find routes back to the UAE.
“At first, we thought we could travel by a vehicle to Jordan and then find a flight to the UAE but it was a complicated route,” she said.
They had heard that Iraqi Airways were operating from Basra International Airport in southern Iraq but they could not get a ticket. “It was chaos in Basra as many travellers went in hope to get a flight. We felt hopeless as the airport couldn’t handle the crisis,” she said.
They applied for a transit visa to Kuwait to cross the land border. “In theory, a transit visa can be issued in 24 hours but on the ground it takes three days. If we secure the visa then we can travel by car to Kuwait and then book a ticket to the UAE,” she said.
Ms Saeed, a consultant in a private company, said her workplace was trying to help and support her.
“They understand my situation but I feel that I’m powerless,” she said. “It is one of the toughest trips in my life.”
