Shropshire residents stranded as closed airspace over the Middle East brings travel to a halt

With Dubai International Airport handling more than 8,500 weekly flights operated by over 100 airlines to more than 270 destinations, the shutdown has left thousands of travellers stranded worldwide.

Among them is 58‑year‑old Paul Fisher from Madeley, Telford, who was due to fly back to Heathrow via Dubai from Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday evening.

Paul had been in Vietnam on holiday with his wife, Carolyn, when an email from Qatar Airways on Saturday informed them that Middle Eastern airspace had been closed.

Needing to return to work, he quickly rebooked flights to London via Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific - at his own expense.

Speaking to the Shropshire Star on Sunday, Paul said: "I've had no contact from the airline except for the placeholder emails that say that the airspace has been closed and flights have been suspended.

"But there's no information about what we should do afterwards - I still have no information. I imagine theres a lot of people in the same situation. 

"I had to get back for work so I had to re-book quickly, I was lucky that I did because they were £450 each and now they're around £2,000." 

On top of the cost of the flights, Paul has had to pay for another nights accomodation as well as additional costs.

He said: "There's parking at Heathrow too and we've got the pets in kennels. There are lots of knock-on effects and costs. It's probably cost us another £2,000 or £2,500 - I'm not sure we're gonna see that returned." 

Bishop’s Castle resident Jenni Shepherdson said her daughter, Ruby, was flying home from three months travelling in New Zealand via Sydney and Dubai when all flights were grounded.

After spending a night in the airport, Jenni said Ruby and her partner were given a hotel for two nights and issued with a 12‑month visa for Australia.

"They just want to get home, and we just want them home safe," Jenni added.

Cara Wilkinson, who used to live in Shrewsbury but now lives in Coventry, was due to fly back to Birmingham via Dubai from Bangkok on Monday, March 2.

She's been travelling around Thailand for more than a month with her husband, but now isn't certain when they'll make it back to Britain. 

On Sunday, the pair were scrambling to find somewhere to stay in Bangkok but said the hotels were mostly booked up.

Cara said: "It's very stressful. I have been trying to contact Emirates since yesterday, they have not responded to any messages on various formats. 

"They have not been in touch with me at all to update me, our flight is still showing as scheduled to leave."

Have you or someone you know been affected by the airspace closures? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]