The Foreign Office dropped its travel warning against travelling to Dubai. The Foreign Office also said "The situation remains unpredictable" and warned that "attacks could resume at short notice." Lifting the do not travel advice means that people travelling to the UAE will no longer risk invalidating their travel insurance, a change that matters for more than 1.4 million Britons who visited Dubai last year.
Foreign Office travel advice
The Foreign Office confirmed the US and Iran have announced a memorandum of understanding in relation to the conflict in the Middle East and used that development when updating guidance. On Thursday the Foreign Office revised the foreign travel advice page for the United Arab Emirates but retained clear caution, repeating that "The situation remains unpredictable" and that "attacks could resume at short notice."
Virgin Atlantic and British Airways
Virgin Atlantic confirmed it suspended flights until winter 2027 after the war started, and Virgin Atlantic said on Thursday that this remains the case. British Airways said earlier in June that it would not resume flights to the UAE until October 2026. Emirates has still been operating flights to the region while thousands of Britons were left stranded in the Middle East when the conflict broke out.
Mark Tanzer and Abta
Mark Tanzer said the decision would lift market hesitancy and expected a "positive impact" on bookings. Mark Tanzer added: "This is the most important development for tourism to and through the Middle East in some time, we know the government won't have taken this decision lightly," and urged would‑be travellers directly: "While we're not out of the woods yet, hopefully this change will open up the market more broadly – there are some very competitively priced holidays for this summer, so if you're still to book, now is the time to do it."
For Britons planning travel, the immediate practical effect is straightforward: insurance policies that excluded coverage while a government advised against travel should now be less likely to be invalidated for trips to the UAE. Airlines, however, have taken different stances—Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have multi‑month suspensions in place while Emirates continues services—so individual routes and flight schedules will vary by carrier.
How long will airlines take to restore normal services to the UAE after the warning was dropped?
