Almost 100,000 Brits stranded as Iranian strikes force airports to close including Dubai and Doha

The UK Foreign Office has mounted an unprecedented operation to support tens of thousands of Britons stranded in the Middle East, as airstrikes throw travel in the region into chaos.

Sky News understands officials are working on plans for potential evacuation routes, should airspace in the Gulf remain closed.

Rocket attacks are keeping major airports closed across the region for a second day, including the world's busiest international hub in Dubai.

Iran has been retaliating to US and Israel strikes with a barrage of counterattacks on military installations and other targets around the Gulf, sending the most severe business disruption in the region since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately 94,000 Britons - most in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - have registered their presence in the Middle East on the government's online platform launched after the conflict broke out on Saturday.

The majority of these people have been moved to hotels, in what is one of the biggest consular cases the Foreign Office has had to deal with in recent years.

More than 3,400 flights were cancelled on Sunday across seven airports in the Middle East, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.

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Disruption has hit Doha in Qatar - which handled 54 million passengers last year - as well as Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

And with airports in Qatar and the UAE often used for connecting flights, the disruption could hamper onward travel plans for passengers across the globe.

Departures and arrival boards at Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester airports, showed multiple flights serving destinations across seven countries cancelled.

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Aviation analyst Cirium estimates that 90,000 passengers per day are served by Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways at Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha alone.

Passengers have already found themselves stranded after multiple Middle Eastern countries closed their airspace Saturday.

Jo Hummel, 43, and her husband Chris Jenkins, 46, were travelling back from Thailand with their two children, Ivy, 17, and Kit, 12, when their connecting flight from Doha to London was cancelled.

Ms Hummel, from the Isle of Wight, said: "We touched down into Qatar and people were opening up their phones and there was a national alert coming through in Arabic. We realised something was going on.

"We were transferring in Doha to London and everything was getting cancelled."

She continued: "Qatar [Airways] staff came and offered us a hotel room, at first we were going to stay at the airport, but now we are 20 minutes away in a hotel organised by the airline.

"I had to get them out of bed this morning because drones were exploding in the sky above us and we have big windows. It's quite frightening.

"As a mother, I'm scared out of my wits and trying to keep calm, but also be organised.

"I don't think anything will leave until its safe."

In Bali alone, more than 1,600 tourists were stranded after five flights to the Middle East were cancelled or postponed at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, officials said.

In new travel advice issued overnight, the Foreign Office advised UK nationals against all but essential travel to Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.

In a statement, the department said: "British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and United Arab Emirates can register their presence to receive direct updates from the FCDO on the situation in the Middle East.

"You should continue to follow travel advice and the advice of the local authorities."

"For travellers, there's no way to sugarcoat this," said Henry Harteveldt, an analyst with Atmosphere Research Group.

"You should prepare for delays or cancellations for the next few days as these attacks evolve and hopefully end."

The strikes on Iran on Saturday led to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, state TV announced.

In the retaliatory strikes that followed, two UAE airports reported incidents as the government condemned a "blatant attack involving Iranian ballistic missiles".

Officials said four people were injured at Dubai International Airport, while one was killed and seven others were injured in a drone strike at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi.

Also in Dubai, an explosion and subsequent fire occurred near the entrance to the Fairmont The Palm hotel.

Airlines that typically traverse the region may choose to reroute flights, leading to longer travel times, rising fuel costs, and eventually higher ticket prices.

It remains unclear how long disruption will continue, but the last time the US and Israel conducted joint attacks on Iran hostilities continued for 12 days.

(c) Sky News 2026: Almost 100,000 Brits stranded as Iranian strikes force airports to close including Dubai and Doha