Tourists from Russia reported problems with flights from the UAE and Israel due to attacks on Iran

Russians vacationing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel are facing massive flight cancellations and postponements. On February 28, three Russian citizens told Izvestia about the situation in the resorts of the two countries against the background of Israeli and US attacks on Iran.

Ekaterina Gromova, a tourist vacationing on Palm Jumeirah Island in Dubai, reported that her S7 flight to Moscow was postponed without any information from the carrier. I had to find out about the changes myself through chat support.

According to her, distant blows could be heard on the island during the day, but the strongest explosions thundered over the hotel at 16:30 local time (15:30 Moscow time), when the air defense system went off.

"It turns out that two missiles were destroyed above us (over the hotel territory. — Ed.). <...> When the air defense went off, there were such clouds [of smoke]. There were very strong blows, two. People immediately panicked. Even now, it is clear that there are quite a few people on the Palm Tree, because usually there are already a lot of people at this time," Ekaterina said.

She was forced to extend the hotel at her own expense because the departure time of her plane is still unclear. The Russian woman added that so far the sky over the resort is calm, no shells have been noticed, but the situation is changing very quickly.

Another Russian tourist, Anna, noted that no one tells vacationers accurate information about departures. Her flight is scheduled for March 3, but there is no certainty that it will take place. At the same time, Anna does not consider the situation "very alarming."

"There is no panic here. <...> Both the staff and other vacationers remain calm. You will not see any prerequisites for the current situation if you do not know that it is happening. Therefore, I do not consider the situation alarming, now we are calmly enduring it," the girl summed up.

Russians who are in Israel also have problems. Kristina Diarova told Izvestia that her Red Wings flight on March 2 was canceled. The girl was promised a refund.

"There is no information about how tourists will be evacuated. And, in general, it's not clear what to do now," she shared.

The operational situation also complicates the situation. According to the tourist, an air alert started right during the walk in the city.

The Middle East beyond the border: Israel strikes Iran

Israel launches a series of attacks on military and nuclear facilities, Tehran is preparing a response

Earlier in the day, the airports of Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), suspended operations indefinitely due to the escalation of the conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran. Passengers were advised not to come to airports during the restrictions and to contact their airlines to clarify departure times.

At the same time, Aeroflot cancelled all flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi on February 28 amid attacks by Iran and Israel. In addition, explosions occurred in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Izvestia published footage from the airport in Dubai after the UAE intercepted several missiles launched from Iran. They show that the tourist area is almost empty. In addition, eyewitnesses told Izvestia about an explosion and a fire near one of the Palm Jumeirah hotels.

According to Aleksan Mkrtchyan, Vice President of the Alliance of Travel Agencies (ATA), approximately 100,000 Russians are stuck in the UAE due to the escalating conflict between Israel, the United States and Iran. He noted that tourists who arrived in the Middle East themselves (not on tours from operators) will have to pay for their own accommodation and meals. According to Mkrtchyan, the difficult situation is likely to last for the next two days.

Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran on the morning of February 28. Later, Iran fired rockets towards Israel. In addition, Iran attacked four US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Against this background, the United States began evacuating some personnel from the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.