Flights in and out of several airports in the Middle East have heavily disrupted following the US and Israeli campaign, which it has been confirmed has claimed the life of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has responded with its own counter offensive, launching attacks on the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. The US has a number of military bases and installations throughout the region.
The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to both the UAE and Qatar, and has issued a shelter in place warning to any nationals there owing to reports of missile attacks. "Remain indoors in a secure location, avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities," said the FCDO.
British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air have grounded a number of flights to the region, while flights to Israel have also been affected. Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways have also made changes to their schedules.
On Saturday, footage verified by the BBC and other national media outlets shows the moment the Fairmont The Palm hotel in Dubai is hit during a barrage of Iranian airstrikes. A large fire quickly engulfs part of the hotel. Four people are understood to have been injured.
Later, the government of Dubai confirmed four members of staff at Dubai International airport were injured in an incident there. Flights into Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airport, also in Dubai, have been suspended.
Elsewhere, the BBC reports Kuwait's international airport had also been targeted by drone strikes, citing the country's Kuna news agency.
British Airways said it had cancelled a number of flights to the Middle East, adding it was closely monitoring the situation there.
"If you are due to fly between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai or Tel Aviv, you can change your flight free of charge up to and including 6 March," said BA. "Customers travelling up to and including 4 March may also request a full refund."
Virgin Atlantic, meanwhile, cancelled flight VS400 from Heathrow to Dubai on Saturday and the return leg, VS401, on Sunday (1 March). It has also cancelled flight VS242 from Heathrow to Riyadh on Sunday and the return (VS243) on Monday (2 March).
Virgin said it was "closely monitoring the evolving situation following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East".
"As a precautionary measure, we are temporarily avoiding Iraqi airspace and continue to review our flight paths in line with the latest information and guidance from international aviation authorities and our own rigorous safety standards," said the carrier.
"As a result, some of our services are operating on adjusted routings and may experience slightly longer flight times."
Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up to and including on 7 March, and all flights to and from Saudi Arabia until Monday, citing "the recent escalation of the security situation in Iran".
It added: "As the situation evolves, further operational decisions may be made, and the flight schedule may be adjusted accordingly."
Other airlines making amendments to their schedules include:
- Etihad Airways has suspended all flights to and from Abu Dhabi until 2am UAE time on Monday
- Emirates said owing to "multiple regional airspace closures", it had temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai until 3pm UAE time on Sunday
- Qatar Airways has "temporarily suspended" flights to and from Doha due to the closure of the country's airspace. It will next provide an update by 9am Doha time on Monday
The situation in the region is developing quickly. This article was published at 8.15am on Sunday (1 March) and is based on the latest information available as of then.
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