Travel agent's 'added stress' as wife stuck in Dubai

A travel agent has described the "added personal stress" of his wife being among thousands stranded in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran.

There are an estimated 300,000 British citizens in Gulf countries - including residents, holidaymakers, and those in transit - with many stuck as much of the region's air space remains closed.

It comes after Iran retaliated to US and Israeli strikes by conducting aerial attacks on sites across the region - including in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Matt Callaway, who runs Savile Row Travel in Henley-on-Thames, said he had various customers stuck in the region - including his wife, Sarah.

"She has been in Dubai since Thursday... and was due to come back yesterday, but that flight was cancelled over the weekend," he explained.

He said she had since been booked on another flight home that had then been cancelled, and was now due to leave on Wednesday.

"It's obviously added some personal stress and pressure.

"I've been trying to manage letting the children know about the current situation but obviously not to let them know too much - so it's been a balancing act in that sense," he added.

A limited number of flights have been able to leave the United Arab Emirates since the conflict began on Saturday.

More than 4,000 flights a day have been cancelled across the region, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24, with hundreds of thousands of passengers affected.

Callaway, who has been a travel agent for 21 years, said: "You don't often get surprises in the travel industry, particularly when you've been in it this long."

"There have been many crises, short-lived and long-lived, so there is an element of it being par for the course in terms of being ready for these kinds of things."

Niall Douglas, who runs Full Circle Travel in Wallingford, said the conflict had caused "a very tricky situation" for travellers.

"So many flight options, whether it be to Australia or Asia, do go through the UAE, and the longer the airspace stays closed the bigger the backlog and people looking for alternative options.

"But it's also the lasting impact of the fear to travel through these destinations going forwards - it creates a lot of hesitancy, understandably and knocks the confidence of people travelling."

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has urged British nationals in the region to register their presence to receive direct alerts and advice.

It has also reminded British citizens to continue to follow the government's travel advice for the country they are in, as well as the advice of the local authorities in each nation.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.