'Radio silence' after flights to London cancelled amid Middle East conflict

A Londoner stranded in Sri Lanka says she is watching the cost of her holiday spiral after her flight home was cancelled, leaving her unsure when she will be able to return as conflict in the Middle East forces widespread airspace closures.

BBC reporter Yasmin Rufo had been due to fly back to London via Abu Dhabi on Monday, but has been told the next available departure may not be until next week - a delay she says she cannot afford as hotel and food costs mount each day.

She says she has faced "radio silence" from Etihad Airways since the cancellation, with no clear guidance on when she might be rebooked or whether extra expenses will be covered.

Etihad Airways has been approached for comment.

Rufo originally planned an 11-day holiday to Sri Lanka with her boyfriend, but as reports of the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel intensified, they began to question whether their flights home would be affected.

No Etihad services flew on Sunday after airspace closures and her 04:00 UAE flight from Colombo the following day was confirmed cancelled at 02:00.

An email said the airline would be back in touch when it was time to rebook - but Rufo only learned about a possible flight next week after visiting the airport in person.

She said: "I think overall the communication has just been really bad.

"It is just impossible to get through to anyone on the live chat. There are no lines."

Rufo added that she felt the airline should send out one clear email explaining the cancellation, what passengers should do next, whether to call or wait, and what they were or were not entitled to.

"It is unclear how to get booked on to another flight and it is unclear in what priority order."

She said passengers at the airport seemed "quite stressed and anxious", describing long queues and plenty of travellers also trying to return to London, but added that "everyone is in the same boat".

Rufo said uncertainty around whether food and hotel costs would be reimbursed was one of the "most stressful parts" as they were told to keep receipts and claim later, although a representative has since indicated this is unlikely.

Rufo was not insured for this trip, but many standard travel insurance policies exclude claims arising from acts of war and she found that others in her hotel who had travel insurance had also been left without a safety net.

She said she and her boyfriend had explored every possible route home since the cancellation, but options were extremely limited and increasingly expensive.

The earliest flights they could find were next week, with some indirect routes costing up to £4,000 per person, which she said they could not afford.

She believes other airlines have significantly inflated their fares, pointing to routes that usually cost only a few hundred pounds now selling for thousands.

Rufo said she felt a "little bit anxious" about flying over the Middle East once the airspace reopens but "I think about all the thousands of people that are stranded there. I feel far more for them.

"They have all the same financial stresses that I have but they are also fearing for their safety."

She urged passengers in similar situations to keep trying to contact their airline or travel provider.

"I suppose just try and stick through the four-hour phone wait or the five-hour live chat wait, as difficult as that is."

Only a small number of flights are operating, including a single Etihad service from Abu Dhabi to Heathrow on Tuesday, while large parts of Middle Eastern airspace remain closed.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the situation "may remain challenging for some time," but added that the UK government was "looking at all options to support our people".

In its latest statement on X, Etihad Airways said: "All Etihad's scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 14:00 UAE time on Thursday 5 March."

Etihad continues to advise passengers not to travel to the airport unless they have been contacted directly and told to do so.

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