British Airways suspended all of its flights to Dubai and Doha on Sunday after the United States carried out a ‘bunker buster’ strike on three key Iranian nuclear sites.
In a statement, the airline said it had made the decision to “ensure the safety of our customers and crew,” with military analysts fearing an Iranian counterstrike on US assets throughout the region.
Two British Airways flights that departed London Heathrow bound for Dubai on Saturday night were diverted back to the UK mid-flight after news of the US intervention in the conflict between Israel and Iran was made public.
British Airways flight BA105 departed Heathrow at around 11 pm on June 21 and turned around after reaching Egypt on its way to Dubai. The second flight, BA109, had already reached Saudi airspace and ended up diverting to Zurich.
As it stands, all British Airways flights to Dubai and Doha are suspended on Sunday but are currently scheduled to operate as usual on Monday. This is, however, subject to change with little to no notice.
British Airways had already suspended flights to Bahrain.
Dubai is big business for British Airways with the airline serving the popular emirate up to three times per day using a mix of widebody Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
A statement from BA read: “As a result of recent events, we have adjusted our flight schedule to ensure the safety of our customers and crew, which is always our top priority.”
“We are contacting our customers to advise them of their options while we work through this developing situation.”
A spokesperson noted that specialist teams were keeping the situation under constant review and that passengers scheduled to fly to Dubai or Doha between now and June 24 can rebook onto a later flight up to July 6, free of charge.
Dubai-based Emirates continues to serve London Heathrow, as well as several other cities across the United Kingdom. Qatar Airways also operating its regular scheduled flying program to the UK.
On Thursday, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) warned holidaymakers they could face last-minute flight cancellations and major travel disruption as the war between Israel and Iran intensifies.
Government advisors said airspace in the region could be closed with little notice and that flights could be canceled at the last minute.
The FCDO had previously warned visitors to the UAE and Qatar to remain vigilant and be aware that the security situation in the region could quickly deteriorate.
Late last week, American Airlines suspended its daily service between Philadelphia and Doha, while United Airlines temporarily grounded its daily flight between Newark and Dubai.
In a statement, a spokesperson for United confirmed the suspension was due to security fears, saying that the airline would only resume service “when it’s safe.”
