British Airways cancels London flights to Dubai, Doha after US strikes

A British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Dubai was diverted to Zurich on Saturday night, according to the tracking website Flightradar24.

A British Airways plane prepares to take off Gatwick airport, south London. (AFP Photo)
By AFP .
Journalists @New Vision
#British Airways #London flights #US-Iran strikes #Unrest


British Airways cancelled flights between London's Heathrow Airport and Dubai and Doha on Sunday following US strikes on Iran and fears that the situation in the Middle East could deteriorate.

"As a result of recent events, we have adjusted our flight schedule to ensure the safety of our customers and crew," a BA spokesperson said, confirming that outgoing and incoming flights between Heathrow and Dubai or Doha were cancelled.

A British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Dubai was diverted to Zurich on Saturday night, according to the tracking website Flightradar24.

The BA website showed no flights available for Sunday or Monday when AFP checked for those routes, but flights were still available from Tuesday onward.

BA did not confirm when the flights would resume, but said it would keep the situation under review.

The airline typically flies three times a day between London Heathrow and Dubai, and two times to the Qatari capital.

The US carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear sites overnight Saturday to Sunday after over a week of deadly missile exchanges between Israel and Iran.

Israel closed its airspace after it launched a bombing campaign against Iran on June 13 -- briefly reopening it on Sunday for repatriation flights.

Several airlines last week cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and other Middle East destinations, with Iraq, Jordan and Syria also closing their airspaces at the start of the latest fighting.

Emirates and Qatar Airways were still running flights from Heathrow to Dubai and Doha.