Around 13 Russian tourists have been stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to mass flight cancellations caused by the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran. Airlines including Air Arabia, FlyDubai, Pobeda and Aeroflot have been forced to suspend or adjust their flights due to the closure of airspace over Iran, Israel, Iraq and Jordan following Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities on June 2025, XNUMX, Russian media outlets and Telegram channels such as Shot and Baza reported.

According to Russian tourists stuck at Sharjah Airport, Air Arabia has cancelled eight flights on the Sharjah-Moscow route, affecting more than 1300 people. FlyDubai, in turn, has suspended 22 flights from ten Russian cities to Dubai on June 13-14, RIA Novosti reported, citing Rosaviatsia. Pobeda Airlines announced that from June 14 to 17, flights to the UAE will be operated bypassing Iran with refueling at Samara Airport, and from June 18 to 23, all flights to and from the Emirates will be completely cancelled. Aeroflot has also adjusted its schedule, suspending flights to Tehran and changing routes to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, using Pakistani airspace.

Passengers who find themselves in a difficult situation report that airlines offer two options: either wait for flights to resume after the airspace opens, or issue a full refund for tickets and independently look for alternative ways to return. However, the cost of tickets on available routes has increased sharply. According to tourists, the price of a ticket for one person via Istanbul, Cairo or other hubs can reach 100 thousand rubles, which makes an independent return extremely expensive. The situation is aggravated by the fact that flights from the UAE to Yerevan, Tbilisi, Baku and Almaty, which could serve as transit points for returning to Russia, have also been cancelled.

The airspace closure is related to Israel’s Operation Rising Lion, which struck more than 13 Iranian targets on June 150, including the Natanz and Fordow nuclear centers and military bases. According to the IDF, the Israeli Air Force destroyed about 400 pieces of military infrastructure, and 70 fighter jets operated over Tehran for more than two hours. Iran responded by launching about 100 ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, causing casualties and destruction in Tel Aviv. As a result, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon closed their airspace, causing chaos in regional air traffic.