Travel expert Simon Calder has advised UK holidaymakers as the Middle East conflict continues to disrupt flights and raise safety concerns
Catherine MacKinlay and Oliver Radcliffe Live News Reporter
10:31, 13 Mar 2026
Travellers heading to Turkey and Cyprus could face some disruption(Image: PA)
A travel expert has provided guidance for UK holidaymakers as tensions persist in the Middle East. British travel journalist Simon Calder has weighed in on trips to sought-after destinations including Turkey and Cyprus.
Travel to the Middle East remains restricted, with carriers such as British Airways reducing services to and from the region. Nations including Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates function as crucial transit points for onward journeys to places like Asia and Australasia.
Since hostilities began, hundreds of thousands of passengers have found themselves stranded. Speaking on Sky News, Mr Calder shared his perspective on when travel might return to normal, reports the Express.
The guidance comes as holidaymakers were cautioned that prices could surge this year with jet fuel reaching $300 a barrel. Mr Calder said: “We’ve already seen missiles sent to Turkey and attacks on Cyprus.
“Now, personally, I think the chances of anything happening to a tourist in Turkey or Cyprus are microscopically low, but I also know that people are rebooking away.”
“They’re going to the western Mediterranean – typically Spain and Portugal – because they believe they will be safer there.
“If you’re flying from the UK to a holiday spot such as Turkey or Cyprus and that flight is cancelled, then, fortunately, air passenger rights rules are squarely on your side.
Nissi Beach in southeast resort of Ayia Napa, Cyprus(Image: AP)
“The airline that cancels the flight has to get you to your destination as soon as possible, regardless of the cost. And if you can’t get there immediately, the airline has to provide meals and accommodation, if necessary, before you are able to get to your destination.
“The Foreign Office warns against travel to Kuwait, to Bahrain, to Qatar and, crucially, to the UAE, home to the busiest hub in the world: Dubai International Airport.
“But I’m also predicting that, actually, that ruling is going to lift fairly quickly, and people will be able to travel again.”
Operations at Dubai International Airport continue, despite an incident on Wednesday where two Iranian drones detonated near the airport, leaving four individuals injured.
The Dubai Media Office confirmed that services resumed following the attack, which resulted in “minor injuries to two Ghanaian nationals and one Bangladeshi national, and moderate injuries to one Indian national”.
Mr Calder provided further advice for travellers facing uncertainty during this period. “If your flight is due to go, I’d say, a week or more from now, well, all you can do is just hope that it goes ahead,” he stated.
“If you’re going imminently and you do not know if your trip is running, well, the basic news is that if you go to Abu Dhabi, to Dubai, to Doha, you will be going against Foreign Office advice. So, be aware of that; your travel insurance will be invalidated.
“I’ve got some skin in the game. I am booked to fly out on Saturday night from Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, through to Abu Dhabi and connect onwards to London.
Smoke rises after Iranian strike on fuel tanks in Muharraq, Bahrain(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“Now, at the moment, along with many, many other travellers, I’m absolutely promised the flight will go ahead as normal, and I trust that it will. But I simply do not know.
“At the moment, I’m definitely not cancelling my flight because, well, bluntly, if you cancel the flight – which is what the airlines would really like you to do – you will simply be removing yourself from the problem.
“If, like me, you’re booked in a few days’ time and you do have a bit of flexibility, then absolutely keep your booking open.
“If you go for a refund, first of all, the airline will be delighted because you’ll be a problem that’s removed from their cares and, secondly, you could find yourself paying three times, five times, 10 times as much to get back.
“Much better to remain a problem for the airline; they’ve got to get you where you need to be.”
