Flights from London to Dubai cancelled after Trump launches strikes on Iran
Ryan Prosser
Published June 22, 2025 3:30pm Updated June 23, 2025 8:18am
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A British Airways Boeing 787 approaching Heathrow.
British Airways has also cancelled all of its three planned flights to Dubai on Sunday, as well as its flight to Doha in Qatar this evening (Picture: Shutterstock / IanC66)
British Airways and Singapore Airlines have cancelled flights to Dubai following the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites by the US.
All of BA’s trips between London Heathrow and Dubai – the world’s second-busiest airport – have been put on pause as the world waits to learn what will happen next.
Air travel over the Middle East had already been widely disrupted amid the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran beginning on June 13.
Emirates is continuing to operate flights from UK airports to Dubai despite the latest escalation, though these have also faced delays and disruption.
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.’
Yesterday, British Airways Flight 109 from London to Dubai was forced to turn back less than two hours before it was due to land following the strikes on Iran.
The Boeing 787 left Heathrow at 9.53pm on Saturday night – hours before the US attacked the nuclear sites with ‘bunker-buster’ bombs and submarine-launched missiles.
London to Dubai flight turned around 90 minutes from destination after US strikes on Iran
A map showing the flight path of BA Flight 109 to Dubai, which turned around over Saudi Arabia and diverted to Zurich (Picture: Flightradar24)
It flew five hours on its path, which would have taken it over Egypt, the Red Sea and then across Saudi Arabia.
However, with less than two hours before its scheduled arrival in the UAE, the jet turned around at 2.48am after receiving news of the latest developments in Iran.
Because the aircraft did not have sufficient fuel to fly back to London, the crew made the decision to land in Zurich in Switzerland instead.
Why are flights to Dubai cancelled?
Dubai is less than 100 miles from Iranian airspace, located across the narrow Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway is one of the world’s most important routes for oil freight, and Iran’s parliament voted to close it yesterday – though a final decision will only be taken by the country’s leaders.
BA said the decision was taken ‘to ensure the safety of our customers and crew’.
The Foreign Office has warned that the ongoing ‘hostilities in the region’ have the potential to ‘deteriorate further, quickly and without warning,’ including sudden airspace closures in the region.
But it has not advised against travel to the UAE at this point.
Airlines have been forced to reroute flights around Israel, Iran and several surrounding nations since the Middle East conflict expanded.
Flights between Europe and Asia typically travel over Egypt and then Saudi Arabia or across Turkish, Armenian and Georgian airspace to circumvent the trouble spots.
Tehran warned of ‘everlasting consequences’ after the US said it had ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program.
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