Flights cancelled as travel warnings issued after strikes on Iran

Flights cancelled as travel warnings issued after strikes on Iran 22 minutes ago Aleks Phillips Airlines serving the Middle East have cancelled and diverted flights after the US and Israel launched deadly strikes against on Iran, including its capital Tehran.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air were among carriers to pare back their schedules to destinations in the Middle East, citing safety concerns.

Iran responded by launching a series of attacks, with Israel and four Gulf Arab countries that host US military bases - Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE - targeted by strikes. The UK Foreign Office urged British nationals in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to immediately shelter in place following explosions. US President Donald Trump cited a failure to reach an agreement to limit Iran's nuclear programme and regime change as among the reasons for launching the attack.

Iranian and Israeli airspace were both closed on Saturday, with flight tracking showed international air traffic avoiding the region.

All flights in and out of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airport in Dubai were suspended on Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday evening, the media office for Dubai International said the airport had sustained "minor damage in an incident" and that four members of staff had been injured.

Qatar Airways confirmed the temporary suspension of flights to and from its capital Doha due to the closure of Qatari airspace, later saying operations would resume 19:00 Doha time on Sunday (16:00 GMT).

British Airways cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain until Wednesday.

In a statement, it indicated services between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv could be affected for several days.

Virgin Atlantic cancelled a Heathrow to Dubai flight and warned its flights to India, Saudi Arabia and the Maldives may take longer due to being rerouted.

Wizz Air suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up until and including next Saturday. Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport, urged travellers to check with their airline for updates.

Passengers on the 20:00 flight to Doha on Friday returned to Heathrow after it turned back part way through the journey, but this was due to a technical issue with the aircraft and unrelated to the military action.

Sarah Short was due to return from a holiday in Dubai to Heathrow on Saturday.

"We got on the plane and were literally about to taxi when the pilot said: 'We have some bad news - we're not going anywhere'," she told the BBC. "We then sat on the plane on the tarmac for over three hours. " She added: "There's no flights, everything's suspended. BA said there's nothing they can do," she said. "It's all so volatile, you just don't know what's going to happen next. " The Foreign Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice to warn "against all travel to Israel and Palestine". British people in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates have been told by the UK Foreign Office to immediately shelter in place, while those in Saudi Arabia have been told to "remain indoors in a secure location". UK nationals in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Turkey, and Oman have also been instructed to "remain vigilant" and take shelter if advised to do so.

The FCDO said British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could register their presence to receive direct updates on the situation.

John Henry, 71, from Northampton, who is on holiday in Qatar with his family, was at a shopping centre when they got an air raid alert.

"We heard a bit of a thud and felt a tremor, and we saw a number of people moving quickly out of the shopping centre," he told the BBC.

"You could see the vapour trails where they had hit," said Henry.

"We've heard four or five additional thuds where something must have happened. " Additional reporting by Marc Ashdown and Mary Litchfield