Anyone else in Dubai on holiday? AIBU to be panicking with all the flights cancelled?

[tiantian1005]

Not sure when we can go home..anyone has managed to for example drive to nearby countries and fly from there?

No advice OP but I hope you get home soon x

Have you contacted the airline to see what they say? Or the foreign office?

I hope that you manage to get back soon.

I’m in Dubai visiting family. I’m getting a little worried. Definitely heard two explosions earlier that don’t seem to be reported in the news. Hard to know what’s going on locally. I know the palm got hit with falling debris. My flight is supposed to be Tuesday - heard nothing from Emirates and nothing is showing in the app.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates

Read this and follow the instructions.

Nobody anywhere will have any idea when airspace can reopen so the airline etc will only be able to give information about the present moment.

It's way too early for the airlines to have any answers. They won't know any more than any of us do about how this is going to pan out.

It’s an unfolding and volatile situation. No one will be able to tell you anything at the moment so you just need to follow the advice given by the foreign office. I have family in the region too but no one is going to know anything right now until it stabilises.

sorry you're caught in the cross fire, this has been brewing for a while. Whether it will amount to anything and be over quickly is possible the best hope.

Shelter in place
Due to reported missile attacks, British nationals in UAE should immediately shelter in place.
Remain indoors in a secure location, avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities.

This is advice from the Foreign Office.

You are not being unreasonable to feel
panic- it’s important to be informed but also keep calm. When are you due to fly home? Driving across the border is not as easy as it sounds - most hires won’t allow it, especially for a one way hire.

I used to live in Dubai and have been in touch with friends today and tonight. Everyone is safe, at first they were all pretty relaxed about it but as it’s developed are now understandably scared.

The explosions from intercepted missiles are ongoing and shaking homes across the city as well as the videos circulating of the fire on the Palm.

do you know anyone in Dubai that you could stay with? I can’t see flights running normally any time soon so you need to make a back up accommodation plan. Do you have transport? I would browse hotels in RAK/Ajman/Sharjah if you need to extend your stay and get out of Dubai but still be able to get back to DXB relatively quickly if your flight is rebooked.

I hope you get info soon but wouldn’t expect it too quickly as the level on cancellations are vast. I also hope that this thread won’t turn into a typical Dubai bashing one and remember the OP just wants to get home with her family.

As scary as it is I think for now all you can do is follow the shelter in place instructions and wait.

hope you get home safely

Muscat isn't far and is open. Flights are routed over Oman to avoid the Persian Gulf, and Egypt to avoid Israel.

If you’re on a package holiday, follow the advice from your rep and the foreign office. If you’re an independent traveller, contact the airline when you can. I completely understand why you’d be anxious, but hunker down in your hotel for now and hopefully it will all calm down soon

If the situation worsens the foreign office may put on evacuation flights or advise you on alternative travel routes. At least they did in Covid when airports closed

My DD and her DH and children are currently in Dubai on holiday. They're due to fly home tomorrow. We're incredibly anxious and will be watching the news until they get home. So, so worried!

Dh just got back from Dubai on Thursday

Both Muscat and Riyhad are open but for now ensure that your airline has contact details for you (phone and email), and that you have the number of the British consulate plus the number in London in case the local number has a problem - for now shelter in place though as by tomorrow they may reopen airspace but currently it’s a case of wait it out.

We had a similar but far less worrying situation in summer 2025 during the last set of US strikes on Iran - we left the UAE hours before they closed the airspace but knew we had to fly back via Dubai. We got straight onto our phones and started planning alternative routes via Singapore, Hong Kong etc. We didn't need them in the end but it was good to have developed a strategy where we could act quickly and decisively rather than start panicking if it ended up going pear shape. Wishing you lots of luck - keep us posted!

OP- I really feel for you. It must be very frightening. I’ve been through both a diplomatic evacuation (as a child) and shelter in place orders and do travel orders as an adult.

The very best advice is to do exactly what the Foreign Office advises. In this case, shelter in place. Do not travel, do not go anywhere. Really, really do not go to a border point (they are rarely safe places to be in a situation like this.) They have far more idea about the local situation than anyone on here. Stay put, stay as calm as you can and remember that these situations generally turn out to be frightening, disruptive but fine in the end. You will get out. Maybe not when you hoped, but safely.

Telegraph:

‘The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is being evacuated, residents say, after a hotel in the city was struck in an Iranian strike.
Residents in the popular British holiday destination are taking shelter and there are fears the landmark could be a target.
Authorities are threatening people with fines or prison to dissuade them from sharing videos of the attack, a source told The Telegraph.
Local news channels have hardly reported on the situation and authorities have warned against breaking “law 34”, threatening those who circulate videos with a 200,000AED (£40,400) fine and prison time.
The legislation is also known as the law on combating rumours and cyber crimes and has strict penalties. It was enacted in 2021.
“Everyone is basically in lockdown and not leaving their homes now that it has escalated further,” the source said.’

So be careful what you share OP and others posting from Dubai.

I think this is in part, why it’s been difficult for those in Dubai to know what’s happening.

If the main airlines aren’t flying then no-one is going to charter a flight - how dangerous?!

@Makingadecision

"If the situation worsens the foreign office may put on evacuation flights or advise you on alternative travel routes. At least they did in Covid when airports closed"

Thing about Covid was there was no threat to aircraft...

This situation is different and until ordnance/debris stops falling out of the sky around/ near airports, and until there's a guarantee military and civil air traffic can be deconflicted not much is going to move..

Sorry if that's pessimistic but realistically I don't think there's anyway of establishing a timescale, all people can do is stay safe, keep in touch with their airline/tour operator and hope for improvement.

What is law 34? I’ve been sent two photos from Dubai this afternoon from people there.

I agree, but now’s not the time