Thousands of Britons stranded in the Middle East when the US-Iran war erupted early last year finally received a lifeline on Thursday – but with a stark warning that the region remains volatile. The Foreign Office has dropped its ‘do not travel’ advice for Dubai, after the US and Iran reached an agreement to halt hostilities. However, the government’s travel advice page for the United Arab Emirates cautioned that “attacks could resume at short notice”, and that “the situation remains unpredictable”.
More than 1.4 million Brits visited Dubai last year, making it a major holiday and business hub. The lifting of the warning means travellers to the UAE will no longer risk invalidating their travel insurance. But the practical reality for many holidaymakers is far from smooth. Virgin Atlantic suspended flights until winter 2027 after the war started, and a spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that this “remains the case”. British Airways said earlier in June it would not resume flights to the UAE until October 2026. Emirates, owned by the state, has continued operating throughout the conflict.
“Foreign Office drops 'do not travel' advice for Dubai after US-Iran peace deal, but warns attacks could resume.”
Mark Tanzer, chief executive of Abta, the travel agents’ industry group, said he expected a “positive impact” on travel. “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… hopefully this change will open up the market more broadly – there are some very competitively priced holidays for this summer.”
The Foreign Office advice detailed the continuing threats: “Iran has previously targeted civilian infrastructure across the region such as ports, hotels, roads, bridges, energy facilities, oil production sites, water systems, and airports.” It warned that before the 8 April ceasefire, Tehran had stated its intention to target locations in the Gulf associated with the US and Israel. “This included US or Israeli-linked organisations, businesses, facilities and institutions.”
While the peace deal has allowed the ban to be lifted, the Foreign Office stressed that the security situation could unravel at any moment. For now, stranded Britons have a clearer path home – but the airlines have yet to fully reopen the route.