‘Missiles were flying past our hotel’: UK vacationers trapped in Dubai voice fears as Gulf battle intensifies | EUROtoday

When British residents Alison Woodward, 71, and Gul Woodward, 70, boarded a flight to Dubai final week, they had been anticipating a seashore vacation, loads of solar, and a birthday celebration. But inside days, they discovered themselves caught in a quickly escalating regional battle that has grounded flights throughout the Gulf and left hundreds stranded.

What started as a brief vacation for the pair has turn out to be an anxious wait, punctuated by the sight of missile and drone interceptions unfolding within the skies above Dubai.

“It was really scary. We were shaking,” Alison informed The Independent, describing the air alerts and loud explosions which have echoed throughout Dubai since Saturday morning, hours after coordinated US-Israel strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory assaults on key US allies within the area.

The battle has since disrupted aviation throughout a lot of the Middle East. Several Gulf states have briefly closed their airspace as Iran continues to launch strikes on each navy and civilian targets within the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. Authorities on Saturday stated Iran launched 137 missiles and 209 drones on the UAE, most of which had been intercepted.

Dubai International Airport, one of many world’s busiest hubs, stays closed after what was reported to be an Iranian strike, through which authorities confirmed 4 individuals had been injured.

On Sunday, an explosion close to the airport despatched a thick plume of black smoke into the air as a recent wave of Iranian strikes rocked the Gulf states.

In Abu Dhabi, authorities confirmed that an incident at Zayed International airport resulted in a single dying and 7 accidents. Residential buildings, air site visitors hubs, ports and concrete areas have additionally been hit throughout a number of Gulf states.

Alison and Gul are amongst hundreds of travellers now stranded in Dubai, a glitzy vacationer vacation spot thought of one of many most secure on the earth. The emirate, additionally a worldwide enterprise hub, attracted practically 20 million vacationers in 2025, in accordance with authorities figures.

“We flew into Dubai on February 25 and were supposed to fly back on March 2 after celebrating Gul’s birthday,” Alison, whose son and household lives in Dubai Marina, stated. The pair had checked journey advisories earlier than departure and located no warnings that prompt imminent hazard.

“We did not see this coming,” she stated. “At least we’re staying with family and not stuck in a hotel like many others. That’s a big relief.”

Living in a high-rise, a standard function of Dubai’s upscale neighbourhoods, has introduced its personal anxieties.

“We’re on the 17th floor, and that doesn’t feel very safe,” Gul stated. “The government’s safety advice is to shelter indoors and stay away from glass windows. But the entire building is a glass façade.”

On Sunday, when sirens warned of an incoming missile, the 2 ladies hurried downstairs to the foyer, the place they remained for a number of hours.

Though they insist there isn’t a panic and they’re attempting to stay calm, each say they wish to return residence as quickly as attainable.

“We’re trying to manage this with the British spirit, and a cup of tea. That solves everything,” Alison stated, in a lighter tone. For now, nonetheless, they’re reluctant to danger travelling. “I don’t want to be in the sky while this is happening.”

As the area braces for additional escalation, a number of travellers stated they’re anxious about indefinitely getting caught in Dubai.

An American couple who got here to Dubai on a brief vacation stated they’re residing an ordeal.

The husband and spouse, each medical doctors from California, stated the explosions and repeated missile and drone interceptions have been “really scary.”

“This is our fourth holiday in Dubai, and we never expected anything like this to happen,” stated the girl, who requested to not be recognized. She stated their five-year-old daughter has been terrified by the sound of explosions.

“We saw missiles flying past in front of our hotel. We’ve seen this in movies. Now we’re living it.”

She stated the uncertainty has been essentially the most tough half. “It’s the not knowing that keeps us anxious. We’re worried these attacks could go on for weeks and that we won’t be able to get home. That’s unimaginable.”

Martin, an Irish IT skilled, and his spouse had been transiting by Dubai after honeymooning in New Zealand and Australia when their journey residence took an sudden flip.

“We landed on Saturday at 1pm on an Emirates flight from Sydney and were heading to the gate for our connecting flight to Dublin,” stated Martin, who declined to provide his surname. “Now we’re in a hotel, not knowing when we’ll be able to fly home.”

He described chaotic scenes on the airport as flights had been suspended. “We waited for more than six hours before anyone spoke to us and explained what was happening,” he stated.

The couple are more and more anxious to return to Ireland, the place each are due again at work.

“We don’t even have our laptops with us,” he stated. “We need to get back to Dublin at any cost.”

The UAE authorities has reassured stranded passengers that it’s going to cowl the prices of prolonged stays and associated bills.

The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi confirmed that lodging prices for affected guests could be coated by the state.

In a press release, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) stated the nation’s airports and nationwide carriers had managed 20,200 passengers affected by flight rescheduling, as authorities labored to minimise disruption.

David Drury, 65, a British nationwide who lives in Portugal and works as a senior adviser to the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) in Abu Dhabi, stated he was “impressed by the calm and organised” method through which authorities dealt with the disruption.

“I was at the airport when they announced the flight cancellations. Within less than an hour, they had offered me accommodation. That was impressive,” stated David, who spends two to a few weeks each few months in Abu Dhabi.

With flights suspended, he stated he would miss a keynote handle at a European nuclear power convention in Brussels, together with different enterprise commitments.

He stated he was “more amazed than scared” to see missiles crossing the Dubai skyline.

“It felt surreal like something out of British Pathé footage of London during the war,” he stated.

“There’s no point in panicking. If I’m stuck in Dubai for a few more days, I will find a golf course,” David stated.