Get you up to speed: Dubai suspends flights after drone strike causes fuel tank fire
A drone strike caused a fuel tank near Dubai International Airport to burst into flames, resulting in the suspension of flights for several hours. As a result, all seven Emirates flights from Dubai to London Heathrow on Monday were cancelled.
The drone strike at Dubai International Airport resulted in the cancellation of all seven Emirates flights from Dubai to London Heathrow, disrupting the travel plans of many British nationals. According to British Airways, flights to or from Dubai are suspended until at least the end of March due to “the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability.”
Flights from Dubai International Airport are “gradually resuming” following the drone strike and subsequent fuel tank fire. British Airways has announced it will not operate flights to or from Dubai until at least the end of March due to continuing uncertainty in the region.
Dubai airport shutdown after drone strike causes disruption for thousands of Brits | News World
The latest shutdown of Dubai’s main airport because of a drone strike disrupted thousands of British travellers’ travel plans.
Earlier today, flights from Dubai Airport were suspended for several hours overnight after a drone attack caused a fuel tank to burst into flames.
Images from the scene showed thick smoke reaching into the sky in the early hours of this morning.
Many Emirates flights already in the air were diverted, while others waiting to take off were cancelled. Five flights from UK airports returned to their points of origin.
They included a flight from Edinburgh, which had made it as far as Egyptian airspace before it turned back.
Passengers onboard a flight from London Stansted nearly made it to Dubai, but were diverted to Vienna, Austria.
Smoke filled the sky after a fuel tank near the airport was struck (Picture: AP)
The suspension of flights also affected thousands of people who were hoping to finally return to the UK after being stranded in the Middle East – or other parts of the world where UK flights connect in the region – since the start of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran.
All seven Emirates flights from Dubai to London Heathrow on Monday were cancelled. As of 6 am, Dubai International Airport said flights were ‘gradually resuming’.
Flights to and from the airport were heavily restricted for several days following the start of the conflict on February 28.
About half a million passengers per day usually use airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, which are vital hubs for travel between Europe and the continents of Asia and Australia.
After the drone strike earlier, several planes were diverted to Al Maktoum International Airport, southwest of the city.
Dubai International is the busiest airport in the Middle East and the busiest in the world for international passenger traffic.
Last year, 95.2 million people passed through the hub, and numbers were predicted to approach 100 million in 2026.
Flights are gradually resuming from the airport (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)
However, the war in Iran has had a significant impact on travel in the region.
British Airways announced earlier this month it would not run flights to or from Dubai – one of its most popular destinations – until at least the end of March.
In a post on social media, the airline said the decision was taken due to ‘the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability’.
Within hours of the war beginning on February 28, a missile hit Dubai Airport, injuring four people and damaging a concourse.
A further four people were injured last Wednesday when two drones fell in the vicinity of the airport.
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