'Most intense flight ever': UAE residents reflect on Gulf airspace closure
Dozens of planes heading for Doha were rerouted, with Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam and Dubai among the affected destinations, as Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait closed their respective airspace.
A passenger on board an Emirates flight from San Francisco to Dubai on Monday evening described the moment the plane he was on had to be rerouted in mid-air.
He said the 15-hour journey turned into a near 19-hour ordeal imbued with confusion, speculation and visible panic among passengers.
Tense situation
Fakhr-e-Alam, a Pakistani singer, actor and licensed pilot who has lived in Dubai for 21 years, was on Flight EK226, an A380 passenger jet, when the situation unfolded.
'Everything was fine,' he told The National. "I was monitoring the flight status on the in-flight TV and saw 50 minutes to destination, so I started to prepare for landing.
'A few minutes later I heard the engines spooled up and since I am a pilot myself, I found that odd because we were close to Dubai and should have been in a descent.'
He noticed the estimated arrival time on the in-flight map had jumped from 50 minutes to nearly two more hours.
'Since I was connected online, I immediately scanned the news feeds and X to find out Qatar had closed its airspace," he said. "I had another friend of mine on a different seat, so I went and told him the situation was tense.'
The two made their way to the aircraft's lounge to speak to the cabin crew. 'The crew was extremely calm and very professional. They said they would let us know when they heard from the captain.'
As the plane began circling over Riyadh, passengers were left guessing what would happen next. Mr Alam, who remained online and in touch with some of his aviation contacts, tried to gather more information as the regional crisis escalated.
'Then the captain came over the PA and informed us we were awaiting instructions from the company. He sounded very reassuring.'
Meanwhile, passengers began watching news broadcasts on the in-flight screens, showing the attacks unfolding.
'The news was not pretty, as one airspace after another was closing down," Mr Alam added. "All passengers were watching these events on the screens in horror and shock.'
He described emotional scenes in the cabin. 'A mother held her infant tightly and had tears running from her eyes. An American couple were extremely worried and emotional.'
Mr Alam said he was increasingly concerned about fuel levels, given the long-haul nature of the flight and the additional time already spent in the air.
After several hours of circling and mounting speculation, the crew announced that a new air corridor had opened and Dubai International Airport had resumed operations. 'So after another hour and 20 minutes, I saw the Dubai skyline and lights, and we landed safely,' he said.
Mr Alam said the professionalism of the Emirates crew and calm response of the UAE authorities helped to manage what could have turned into a far more chaotic situation.
'Imagine flying 15 hours from the other side of the planet and just before landing you are diverted without any clarity as to what happens next, and stay up in the air for almost four extra hours.
'I am a frequent flyer and have been for over two decades. This was by far was the most intense flight I have ever experienced.'
Keeping families apart
Faisal Al Mutairi, a Saudi-American business owner who has lived in Dubai for 10 years, reflected on the disappointment he felt in finding out he would not be reunited with his wife and family.
"I had just taken off from Berlin, heading to Dubai," he said. "I didn't know it happened but for a couple of hours I had been trying to get internet on board, as I wanted to see if something was happening, but it wasn't working.
"Then the pilot told us, just as we were reaching Turkey, that we were turning back to Berlin and there had been an issue at the airport. I was so upset, as I was going back home to my wife and two kids. It was such a stressful moment not knowing what was happening, what was going to happen and not being able to be there to protect my family."
Mr Al Mutairi had to make his way back into the city of Berlin at midnight and find a hotel, because the airline office had closed by the time his flight landed.
"Now I have a flight booked to come back to Dubai this evening but at this point I've no idea if it will be cancelled or if we'll turn back mid-air again. Hopefully it won't come to that."
Looking ahead
Omar Abduljabar, 43, from Iraq, told The National he had been planning a visit to Istanbul next week with his family but is now thinking about cancelling.
'After the closing of airspace in some countries and the tension in the area, I'm rethinking to cancel the trip,' Mr Abduljabar said.
He had been hoping to enjoy a 10-day holiday with his wife and two children, before returning back to his government job in Dubai.
'I'm afraid about something happening, then I couldn't return to Dubai,' he added. "I've heard stories about people getting stuck in different countries in the last 12 days because of the war.
'I emailed the airline to see if I could cancel the tickets or maybe push my flights to the end of July, until things are clearer.'
Iran's attempt to attack the US's Al Udeid base - in pictures
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
14 minutes ago
- The National
Limp Bizkit review: Abu Dhabi crowd turns Etihad Arena into one big moshpit
When Fred Durst reintroduced himself in the 2021 video for Dad Vibes, it was as a greying, sunglass-wearing, tracksuit-clad figure shuffling across the screen. The dancing was bad, the smile knowing and the message unmistakable – this was the same Fred Durst who had always mixed aggression with obvious comedy, finally free to be explicit about the joke. The truth is, Limp Bizkit never really changed. The band that wrote Nookie and covered George Michael 's Faith was always straddling the line between heavy and silly, mixing brutal riffs with pop hooks. What confused audiences in the late 1990s was their refusal to pick a side – were they serious metal or elaborate parody? During their maiden Middle East appearance at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena, we realised the band was fully committed to embracing the absurdity and that it was always part of the point. The joke wasn't on Limp Bizkit – it was built into them from the beginning, from the quirky song and album titles to Durst's range from laconic croon to dramatic and overly anxious rapping style. The evidence was everywhere from the opening triple-hit of Hot Dog, Break Stuff and My Generation, which sparked what may have been a first for Etihad Arena – a genuine attempt at a mosh pit. Hundreds of fans bounced and collided as the riffs crashed in, singing along to lyrics that were simultaneously furious and ridiculous. Red caps dotted the floor, vintage band shirts flashed under the lights, and the atmosphere was that of a long-delayed reunion with a band that no one needed to defend anymore. Durst himself looked liberated. Gone was the obnoxious and maybe overly defensive swagger of the early 2000s, when he seemed caught between wanting to be taken seriously and knowing his material was inherently silly. In his place was a 54-year-old in a pink cap and baseball jacket, playing the part of the "uncool dad" with obvious delight. Even in the most frenetic moments, he moved with an easy glide, finally able to let the songs speak for themselves – heavy when they needed to be heavy, absurd when they needed to be absurd. This shift reflects something larger than one band's career trajectory. Nu metal's original problem wasn't its lack of seriousness – it was the audience's, or perhaps even more pressingly, the industry's inability to process music that could be both crushing and comical. Bands such as Korn and System of a Down have always mixed genuine darkness with obvious humour, but for years, listeners felt forced to choose between taking them seriously or dismissing them as jokes. Tuesday's crowd – many in band shirts and red caps – showed they were in on the trick along. Wes Borland's jagged, inventive riffs is meant to co-exist with Durst rapping about fitting juvenile phrases into songs. They could appreciate the genuine craftsmanship – the tight rhythm section, DJ Lethal's textural contributions, the band's mastery of tension-and-release dynamics – without needing the lyrics to match the musical intensity. The songs themselves prove this point. Nookie remains a perfect pop song disguised as metal aggression. Break Stuff is therapeutic cartoon violence set to genuinely crushing riffs. Faith turns George Michael's slick pop-soul into nu metal without losing either the original's charm or the cover's heaviness. These weren't confused attempts at crossover – they were deliberate exercises in genre-blending that have become standard in pop music today. More importantly, this understanding has freed both band and audience to focus on what actually matters – the connection, the energy and the kind of release that comes from seeing your band growing up well and growing with them together.
UAE Moments
28 minutes ago
- UAE Moments
Mystery Tobacco Eau De Parfum
Emirati influencer Marwa Al Hashem and Saudi Influencer Daim Al Gaw showcase Mystery Tobacco, the Carolina Herrera Confidential fragrance bringing together the timeline elegance of the brand through the unique perspective of the rising Arab stars in the influencer world. The Carolina Herrera Confidential fragrance embodies the essence of sophistication and luxury, and the collaboration with Marwa Al Hashem and Daim Al Gaw adds a distinct Middle Eastern touch to this captivating fragrance. The regional shooting showcases the fusion of cultures, capturing the spirit of modern elegance and beauty. There is nothing as mysterious as an incomplete memory, half-suggested by a word, a color or a scent - Mystery Tobacco gives off that kind of magic. Its fruity notes and its smoky atmosphere evoke the story of Pepito Herrera, uncle of Reinaldo Herrera, one of the lavish characters that populate the memory of La Hacienda La Vega, the emblematic Caracas estate linked to the family where Carolina Herrera resided during part of her youth, and what later inspired her to create the namesake fashion brand. Those gardens and historic buildings – the foundation of this architectural complex dates from the sixteenth century – still kept the echo of the glittering guests, almost from other worlds, who had frequented it, from Princess Margaret and Prince Charles of England to Salvador Dalí or Christian Dior. However, from those stories she heard at family gatherings, Carolina A. Herrera, creative director of fragrances at Carolina Herrera, retained the fascination with the adventures of Uncle Pepito, a man born at the same time as the twentieth century and endowed with an unlimited passion for travel. "He was like the Phileas Fogg of the family; every time I sat in front of the world map that Dad had in his office and pointed to any point on the planet, someone told me that 'Uncle Pepito had been there,'" recalls Carolina A. Herrera. "From Egypt to Japan, from Patagonia to Alaska, from Turkey to Madagascar, there was always a story, a memory or an anecdote that referred to Pepito, a man of whom I barely remember a few features: he always dressed exceptionally elegantly, with a cross suit and English shoes, he knew several languages and he used to use a fragrance of vetiver whose wake was mixed with that of the blond tobacco he smoked in exquisitely designed pipes that he had collected on his travels around the world," he says. That was not only a picturesque figure, but a real influence for Carolina Herrera. "My mother always affirms that her passion for traveling comes from those stories that Pepito Herrera told her," explains Carolina A. Herrera. "Thanks to them he discovered the power of travel to broaden the mind and know the world." Since then and until today, the designer has traveled the entire planet trying to throw on each object, place and person the curious, unprejudiced and free look of Pepito Herrera. From those few features, composed with loose brushstrokes like the paintings of Impressionism, emerge the most persistent notes of Mystery Tobacco. In the background of the fragrance stand out the leaves of the tobacco plant. Its golden and smoky nuances made it a key ingredient in the high perfumery of the twenties and thirties. Here they join their strength to the exotic and colorful power of patchouli. That seductive alloy remains on the skin for hours, after having displayed the magic of davana – an aromatic herb very characteristic of India – and ginger in the top notes, and vetiver and tonka bean absolute in the heart. The result is an enveloping and powerful fragrance, multicolored and enigmatic at the same time, which evokes aromas of other times without renouncing an enormously contemporary and genderless sumptuousness. An eau de parfum as powerful and unique as those unique and bold personalities who live forever in the memory of those who knew them.
Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: New 850-metre lane at Nad Al Hamar intersection to ease traffic flow
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has started the construction of a new 850-metre lane for vehicles travelling from Ras Al Khor Road towards Nad Al Hamar Intersection, near Nasser Bin Lootah Mosque. They will also be widening the storage lane at Nad Al Hamar Intersection for traffic approaching from Al Rebat Street and turning left towards Nad Al Hamar. This step forms part of RTA's drive to meet the needs and aspirations of residents and ongoing efforts to develop the road network along vital corridors. The enhancements will help ease traffic congestion from Ras Al Khor Road and Al Rebat Street towards Nad Al Hamar Intersection. With the addition of the new lane towards Nad Al Hamar Intersection, capacity will rise by 33%, from 4,800 to 6,400 vehicles per hour. This improvement will reduce travel time from 15 minutes to 11 minutes, enhancing traffic flow towards Nad Al Hamar by up to 27%, particularly during the evening peak hours. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. These traffic solutions form part of the 2025 Rapid Traffic Improvements, specifically the Summer 2025 Improvement Plan, which is scheduled for completion by the end of August. The plan aims to enhance traffic flow and road safety and improve the efficiency of the local road network in the area. These improvements will contribute to better daily mobility and residents' quality of life, while supporting RTA's vision as The World Leader in Seamless and Sustainable Mobility. In addition, the expanded storage lane at Nad Al Hamar intersection for traffic approaching from Al Rebat Street and turning left towards Nad Al Hamar will help reduce queuing at the intersection, ensuring smoother traffic flow towards Ras Al Khor Road. The new expansion serves traffic bound for Nad Al Hamar and surrounding areas, particularly Al Rashidiya, Al Qusais, and Dubai International Airport. It will enhance connectivity between residential communities and key destinations, while supporting efficient traffic flow across both the main and local road networks.
