Emirates has suspended services between Glasgow and Dubai today as airspace closures across the Middle East continue to impact travel, following joint US and Israeli military action in Iran.
The airline has now confirmed in a new update that they believe flights will resume after 3pm UAE time on Tuesday, with operations out of Glasgow still on hold until then.
Passengers stranded by the closure of Dubai International Airport (Image: Altaf Qadri)
An Emirates spokesperson said: “Due to multiple regional airspace closures, Emirates has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai, up until 1500hrs UAE time on Tuesday, 3 March.
“The situation remains dynamic and is assessed continuously.”
The disruption began after the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority imposed a partial airspace closure, leading to the cancellation of Emirates flight EK28, which was scheduled to depart from Glasgow at 1.35pm on Monday.
A return Emirates service from Dubai to Glasgow, due to arrive at 11.35am the same day, was also cancelled.
Emirates operates daily flights between Glasgow and Dubai.
The spokesperson urged travellers to stay informed.
They said: “We urge all customers to check flight status before proceeding to the airport.
“Customers impacted by flight cancellations must contact their travel agency for rebooking.
“If booked directly with Emirates, please contact us.
“We apologise to customers affected by disruptions for any inconvenience caused.
“The safety and security of our passengers and crew remain our highest priority.”
Emirates airplanes are parked at the Dubai International Airport after its closure (Image: Altaf Qadri)
We reported yesterday that among those caught up in the disruption was former Rangers and Scotland captain Graeme Souness, who was in the Middle East when airspace closures took effect.
He said: “We’re hearing some pretty loud bangs going off and that is anti-missiles taking out missiles that are being fired at some American base.”
He explained that his flight had been cancelled and that he would need to stay in a hotel while the situation was resolved.
Despite the inconvenience, the footie star encouraged travellers to focus on the bigger picture.
He said people may feel “grumpy” about travel delays but reminded them that the real risk was to those in immediate danger from the attacks.
Iran, Israel, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar all closed their airspace following the escalation, which began on Saturday.
The UK Foreign Office has since updated its travel guidance, recommending against all travel to Israel and Palestine.
A Foreign Office statement said: “Due to the threat posed by escalation in the region, we recommend against all travel to Israel and Palestine.”
Approximately 300,000 British citizens are believed to be in the affected Gulf countries.
Major flight disruption continues as flights from Glasgow Airport are cancelled for the third day after airspace closures. (Image: Altaf Qadri)
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper indicated that 102,000 British nationals have registered their presence in the region.
She told BBC Breakfast: “The latest figure I have from this morning is we have 102,000 people (who) have responded to our proposal to ask people to register their presence so we know where they are, particularly in these Gulf countries that have been targeted.”
She explained this helps the Government “get them rapid information.”
