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?

@Lampzade I’m sorry, I didn’t realise there were already five pages and comments on this already. My apologies.

I’m in Abu Dhabi on holiday. Our flight was going to be 11am tomorrow but we have been cancelled obviously and it’s now rearranged for 4 March at 2am from Dubai. So that’s annoying but it is what it is

just lying here in our hotel (we are in th Hyatt) and really hoping the next few days go quickly and peacefully. There has been 4 explosions that we heard today but all is calm in the hotel.

Having lived in the ME when things have gone pear shaped, my experience is the FO and the British Embassy are cautious issuing guidance so they are treating it very seriously.. It is absolutely sensible to be prepared with passports, documents, medication and other essential supplies in the event you need to be evacuated. Residents may choose to stay through conflict but tourists inevitably want to get home.

Yes here now, it’s way WAY worse than the media are saying. A missile hit another hotels. PEOPLE
ARE DYING and it’s being silenced

This! I know person who lives in Dubai, there were more explosions than reported. The same person just posted video on social media where you can hear lots of army planes, still no updates for residents.

My friend was literally in the queue waiting to board their flight back to UK this morning, when the news started coming through. He has heard the missiles and seen evacuations and other activity. No idea when he’ll be able to leave the hotel they’ve put him in. All a bit worrying really.

They even closed a road heading to an airport.

I am not sure why people are being dismissive of having a grab bag.

If nothing else, preparing one feels purposeful and like you are taking back a small amount of control.

When it was the London riots, and they were getting very close to us, I prepared a grab bag and also made sure I knew where our shoes and coats were in case we had to move quickly. A friend laughed at me when she found out afterwards but one building extremely near us was set ablaze and a person also died about five minutes away. In the morning, we could see that rioters were within one house of us because of what they left behind. So to me, it was worth doing.

Perhaps it helps that I grew up somewhere with regular earthquakes so we always had emergency kits and plans. e.g. where the family would meet if our school, house, work was damaged. My workplace required us to keep a small "grab bag" in the office e.g. non-office shoes in case we had to walk through rubble.

I know nothing about this particular situation and wish anyone there well.

Looking at Twitter best to stay off the roads for now

I have family with young kids working and living in Dubai - we are very anxious

I have family with young kids working and living in Dubai - we are very anxious

I always said I'd never holiday in dubai and I hope everyone who said it was perfectly safe for tourism / work / living all feel stupid now.
Only themselves to blame if they feel scared. Its not like we didn't know Dubai was at risk - the Middle East has always been volatile. Plus I'd be scared to even fart with all the rules they have in place.
DD is studying teacher training and so many young people go there to teach if they can't get jobs (we're in Scotland so lots of graduates are like only 21). I'd be pulling my hair out if my child were stuck there today. Fortunately, she agreed months ago it wouldn't be something she ever did, she'd sooner just cut grass.

UAE has restrictions in what can be shared so information will be limited…
Amongst other rules..

‘Posting online
It is illegal to post material, including videos and photographs, online that is critical of the UAE government, companies or individuals, or which relates to incidents in the UAE. This includes material which appears to abuse, ridicule or criticise the country or its authorities. Material that is culturally insensitive may also be considered illegal.‘

And restrictions about what can be photographed…

‘Taking photos in secure areas
It is illegal to take photos of some government buildings and military installations. Hobbies like bird watching and plane spotting may be misunderstood, particularly near military sites, government buildings and airports.
Do not photograph people without their permission. Men have been arrested for photographing women on beaches.’

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

Hope everyone is ok. Precisely why jobs are well paid there, that's the 'danger' money to go there. My family lived out in Saudi Arabia as a child and my brother lived in Bahrain. It does have it's pluses obviously but we were always aware that it wasn't 'safe' and you have to be on your guard. The pay was the reason we were there. It is a serious situation and yes to a grab bag. Forget about your possessions. Just keep low and get out of there without possessions if needs me as soon as you can. God speed.

Well it will wonderful if you are right about that.

Hoping that everyone is safe tonight. And yes to a grab bag.

I'm sure a lot of people will want to leave once it is possible to do.so. it must be terrifying.

Grab bag sounds v sensible, as does staying packed. Plenty of people have been evacuated at v short notice in these situations.
I don't think anyone expected Dubai and Bahrain to be bombed today. Stay safe, OP. Must be pretty scary.

Anyone have any ideas why Iran is bombing the UAE? Surely that’s unlikely to make Trump/ Netanyahu reconsider- or am I missing something?

The targets are US friendly.

www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/2/28/multiple-gulf-arab-states-that-host-us-assets-targeted-in-iran-retaliation

It was a drone that hit the Palm not falling debris. My daughter is there and she’s terrified. She’s thinking about getting a taxi to Muscat tomorrow

Partly to attack US airbases, maybe partly to encourage unrest in these countries.

Little sympathy for anyone who chooses to go to Dubai

🤣🤣🤣

Ethically, I would never travel to Dubai, but this is not the time for this.

The best advise is to shelter in place and follow local government and the foreign office advice. No one knows when the airspace will reopen.