Virgin Atlantic has ended its Dubai winter season early and paused flights on its Riyadh route because of growing escalation in the Middle East.
The airline has brought forward the end of its seasonal Heathrow-Dubai service, which had been scheduled to run until 28 March.
A final round-trip service between Heathrow and Dubai is due to operate today (Monday 9 March), with the return scheduled for tomorrow, after which the route will close for the winter season.
The decision follows a drone attack that temporarily closed airspace over the UAE on Saturday, meaning a Virgin flight that left Heathrow on Friday evening (6 March), was unable to land in Dubai. The flight was forced to divert just one hour before it had been due to land in the UAE and turned back, refuelling in Budapest before returning to Heathrow.
Virgin then cancelled a Heathrow-Dubai flight on Saturday and a return flight yesterday. It has also suspended flights to Riyadh, a destination it launched in March last year.
In a statement issued on Sunday (8 March), Virgin said: “The recent escalation in the Middle East has brought forward the end of our operation for this season.
It added: “The safety and security of our customers and our people is always our top priority. We have strict criteria that must be met for a flight to continue into the region.”
Virgin said its teams are working to support affected customers, including securing seats with other airlines where possible. Priority will be given to passengers who are overseas and trying to return home.
Customers are being advised to register via the airline’s ‘Away From Home’ support page if they are currently abroad.
Emirates briefly cancelled flights on Saturday morning but quickly resumed operations. The Independent has reported that Emirates is planning a ‘swift return to normal’ and is prioritising links to the UK and India. It said the airline is now selling tickets for flights between Dubai and eight British airports, with the first flight, to Heathrow, leaving today.
Qatar Airways has begun operating a limited flight schedule today, including Doha-Heathrow and Heathrow-Doha services, after the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirmed ‘limited operating corridors’. The airline said it will issue a further update today.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office (FCDO) has opened a booking portal for British nationals in Dubai who want to access flights chartered by the UK Government.
On Friday, MSC Cruises launched rescue flights for passengers who were stuck on its ship MSC Euribia in Dubai. The cruise line said today (Monday) there are a ‘handful of UK guests still onboard’ who are scheduled to fly out on confirmed flights over the next 36 hours.
