Travellers trapped in Dubai face uphill battle to return home

It was supposed to be a fancy corporate retreat, a reward for colleagues and their families to spend a few sun-kissed days in Dubai, away from the bleak winter back home in Germany and Poland.

But the week-long getaway for Filip Sobiecki, who works at an AI startup in Poland, and his entourage of 18 turned into a desperate ordeal to get back to Warsaw and Munich after most of the airspace in the region closed down as Iran fired off a barrage drones and missiles.

With their flight on LOT Polish Airlines cancelled, Sobiecki said he considered a private jet — only to find that the cost had skyrocketed fourfold as people stuck in the city clamoured to get out.

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Once the airspace closed down, he considered yacht operators that could take him to Mumbai, and then armoured truck drivers that would transport his party to nearby Oman, from where they would hitch a ride on a corporate jet to Istanbul and then on.

In the end, all of these scenarios fell through, and Sobiecki found himself in the same situation as tens of thousands of Dubai visitors: trapped in a city that’s built its reputation on being a reliable, omni-directional 24/7 global gateway, a well-oiled machine incessantly pumping people, planes and products in and out – even during tough times, be it the pandemic or the war in Ukraine.

But the volley of missiles and drones from Iran, some of which damaged Dubai landmarks like the main airport terminal and the iconic, sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel, drastically altered that dynamic.

Suddenly, Dubai became an island from which there was no escape, with flights cancelled, the airspace closed, and movements by sea severely restricted.

“We had this assumption that this is going to be a wonderful time spent together,” Sobiecki said from his hotel room in Dubai’s Marina, where he reported hearing several blasts and could feel the building shake.

“All of a sudden there was a boom in the sky, probably one of those rockets got intercepted, and that’s where we just decided to stay in.”

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Sobiecki’s harrowing experience has punctured the reputation that Dubai has built as a haven of stability, laissez-faire tourism, and ostentatious display of success in a region that knows its fair share of political strife and upheaval.

A city that attracts millions of visitors

The metropolis in the Middle East is known for its ultramodern skyline, endless shopping opportunities, and luxury beach retreats that attracted almost 20 million international overnight visitors last year, according to data from Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

That averages more than 50 000 visitors a day, though arrivals in the peak winter months are significantly higher.

Consumer demand in the UAE is among the most exposed in the Persian Gulf to the US-Iran war, given a strong reliance on tourism and an expat-led economy, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Rami Abi-Samra said.

Travel and tourism contributed about 13% of UAE GDP in 2025, according to Statista.

“Higher oil prices may support regional budgets, but the UAE’s visitor and expat mix makes the near-term hit sharper,” Abi-Samira wrote.

Dubai’s hotel sector boasts 154 264 rooms across more than 800 properties, surpassing Bangkok, New York, Paris and Singapore, and nearly matching London in total room inventory, according to Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.

Average occupancy for hotels in Dubai exceeded 80% in 2025.

Stranded

Many of the visitors now stranded come from Russia, which still enjoys a vibrant exchange of travellers with Dubai.

A significant portion of these tourists were in town for a midterm school holiday, and the Association of Tour Operators of Russia put the total number of Russians currently in the UAE at about 50 000.

About 20 000 now find themselves unable to depart as their vacation draws to a close, according to the association.

The UAE announced it will cover all costs for hosting and providing for affected travellers, UAE-based Khaleej Times reported late Saturday.

At the normally bustling Dubai Airport, the initial chaos had given way to eerie quiet, after the tens of thousands of travellers had cleared out the buildings and returned back to the city.

Airbus SE A380 superjumbo aircraft operated by Emirates sat idle at their departure concourses, one of which had been slightly damaged overnight during a suspected aerial attack that left some workers injured.

Among those caught up in the chaos was George Koshy, a US-based tech and communications entrepreneur. He was travelling back from Mumbai via Dubai when his flight had to be rerouted over Afghanistan, eventually returning to Dubai after several detours.

His A380-800, loaded with more than 500 passengers, landed back at Dubai terminal from where it had departed only a few hours earlier, Koshy said.

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While he lauded how Emirates tended to stranded passengers by putting them up in hotels, there’s still a sense of uncertainty weighing on everyone, he said.

“In the central district areas in Dubai, hotel authorities have been asked to switch off lights at night amid missile and drone attacks,” he said. Still stuck in Dubai, Koshy said he won’t be able to meet his family in Los Angeles until tensions ease.

How quickly Dubai will be able to return to normal and attract tourists and business travellers once again will depend in no small part on the duration of the Iran strikes and airport closures.

Read: World leaders urge swift end to Iran crisis after Khamenei death

Ekaterina Zamyatova, a private school owner from Moscow, said she arrived last week with her husband and son on an organised package tour. Staying at Le Royal Meridien in Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Residence area, she was due to fly back to Moscow on Sunday, but her Aeroflot flight was cancelled.

The hotel agreed to slightly extend her stay, but when the organising tour company failed to provide alternative arrangements, Zamyatova was left to find accommodation on her own.

“We will come back anyway,” said Zamyatova. “We love Dubai, and this situation will not affect our future plans to travel here, provided that peace is restored.”

© 2026 Bloomberg

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