Several flights to popular Brit holiday destinations have been grounded after Donald Trump’s surprise bombing raids on Iran’s nuclear plants. Travel chaos ensued as all planned flights from a key London airport to the favourite tourist spots of Dubai and Doha were halted.
British Airways scrapped all journeys to and from these Gulf powerhouses departing from Heathrow on Sunday, the carrier has announced. The drastic measure even impacted return flights heading back to Britain.
This action follows the diversion of a British Airways flight en route to Dubai from Heathrow, which had to land in Zurich amidst rising tensions between Iran and America.
Trump gave the green light for attacks on three Iranian nuclear sites, making the announcement on Truth Social by saying: “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.”
As a response to the bombings conducted by the US military, Tehran retaliated with strikes aimed at Israel. After the American offensive on Iran, Israeli authorities confirmed the closure of the country’s airspace affecting all inbound and outbound traffic, reports the Mirror.
In a statement, British Airways said: “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.”
British Airways passengers are facing chaos as over 1,000 travellers have been left stranded in Dubai due to travel disruptions. The airline typically operates three daily flights between Heathrow and Dubai, and two to Doha.
Despite the turmoil, Emirates flights from the UK to Dubai remain unaffected and continue to operate normally. London Gatwick’s services to Doha and Dubai are also running on schedule, according to the airport’s website.
The disruption follows a dramatic escalation in tensions after Donald Trump authorised strikes on three Iranian sites last night, which US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth described as an “obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Speaking at a Pentagon press conference, Hegseth stated: “Many presidents have dreamed of delivering the final blow to Iran’s nuclear program, and none could until President Trump.”
Iran has reacted strongly to the attacks, with Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemning the “outrageous” action as “extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour”. He cautioned that the strikes “will have everlasting consequences” and declared that Iran “reserves all options” for a response.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in, warning that any retaliation from Iran would be “the worst mistake they’ve ever made.”
He emphasised: “They thought they could do with Trump what they’ve done with presidents in the past and get it away with it – and they found out last night that they can’t.”