Thousands of Britons stranded in the Middle East when the US-Iran war erupted in early 2026 have been thrown a lifeline: the Foreign Office has dropped its 'do not travel' advice for Dubai. But the government warned that 'the situation remains unpredictable' and that 'attacks could resume at short notice', tempering the relief.
The announcement followed a peace agreement between the US and Iran, which halted a conflict that left many airlines grounded and holidaymakers trapped. More than 1.4 million Brits visited Dubai in the last year, making it a critical destination for tourism and business. Lifting the advisory means travellers will no longer risk invalidating their travel insurance – but getting there remains a challenge.
“Foreign Office lifts 'do not travel' for Dubai after US-Iran peace, but warns attacks could resume.”
Virgin Atlantic suspended flights until winter 2027, and a spokesperson said on Thursday that this 'remains the case'. British Airways said in June it would not resume flights to the UAE until October 2026. Only Emirates, the state-owned carrier, has kept operating throughout the conflict.
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, the travel agents' industry group, said he expected a 'positive impact' on travel to the region. 'This is the most important development for tourism to and through the Middle East in some time,' he said. 'We know from our research that people have been delaying booking their summer holiday because they wanted to see what happened with the conflict, and that the government travel advice is an important factor in confidence to travel. While we're not out of the woods yet, hopefully this change will open up the market more broadly – there are some very competitively priced holidays for this summer, so if you're still to book, now is the time to do it.'
The Foreign Office advice noted that before the 8 April ceasefire, 'the Iranian regime had stated its intention to target locations in the Gulf associated with the United States and Israel', including 'ports, hotels, roads, bridges, energy facilities, oil production sites, water systems, and airports'. The risk of sudden attacks remains, but for thousands eager to return home – and millions more planning future trips – the door has cracked open.