Paralympian’s family stranded in Middle East amid Iran missile strikes

“‘I think sitting on a plane on the tarmac at a major international airport is probably not a good place to be,’ he said. “People were pretty anxious and pretty eager to get off the plane.”

The impact of the conflict on global aviation has been dramatic so far; thousands of flights were grounded, passengers were forced to hide in airports and route networks were thrown into disarray. Airlines have canceled nearly 2000 flights since the conflict began on Saturday (AEDT).

An Asian national was killed and seven others were injured at Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport in the UAE, Abu Dhabi Airports reported to X. Emirates media office reported that four people were injured during an “incident” at Dubai international airport as Iran launched retaliatory attacks.

“All the alerts keep going off, and they go off pretty regularly,” Penni said from Doha airport. “I haven’t figured out yet whether these coincide with the missiles or are random.”

The Miltons were supposed to spend a night in Venice with Michael before heading to Athlete’s village in Cortina. They haven’t seen him since mid-January due to his training schedule and injury rehabilitation, but were forced to abandon that plan and spend a second night at Doha airport with no end in sight.

Milton won 11 medals in six Paralympic Games, including six golds. He won Australia’s first Winter Paralympic gold medal in 1992 and later became the fourth Australian to compete in paracycling at the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

Angus and Matilda were too young to watch Milton compete in the first six Paralympic Games, and traveling to Italy to watch them was a key factor in his decision to return to the Paralympics 20 years later. This also created a significant financial burden for the family and for Michael, who self-financed his return to the Games.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people in the same boat who have their lives planned out and this is just disrupting the good times they had planned and they’re definitely not having a good time right now,” Cortina said. “It’s very difficult, for example, to have been paid for accommodation in Venice tonight that they can’t use… It’s really a situation that no one can change.”

Penni and the children spent two nights sleeping on the floor of Doha airport. There are food queues and spots near electricity points.

“Hopefully there’s a hotel, a shower and a nap in bed, but I’m not counting those chickens until they hatch,” Penni said of what comes next.

“We can’t do anything, we can’t go anywhere until the airspace is opened.”

Impacts and warnings for Australian travelers

Iran’s willingness to strike civilian infrastructure in response to US-Israeli bombings raises new concerns for travelers.

Justin Wastnage, from Griffith University’s Institute of Tourism, said: “Iran’s launch of missiles at hotels and the airport in Dubai escalate the situation further.” “The full impact depends on how long the conflict lasts,” he said.

According to Cirium’s data, approximately 1,000 of the approximately 4,200 flights scheduled to arrive in Middle Eastern countries on Saturday were cancelled. With the addition of scheduled departures, the total number of cancellations exceeded 1800 flights per day.

“Some flights departing today have been diverted,” said Juliette Alpha. “Most of these were from Middle Eastern airlines. A few non-Middle Eastern airlines had already left during today’s military action.” Emirates canceled 108 of 269 scheduled flights. Etihad canceled 80 of 191 scheduled flights. Qatar canceled 174 of 304 flights.

In Australia, Virgin and Qatar canceled flights and urged customers to consult the Australian government for travel advice. Four Virgin Australia flights operated by Qatar Airways made a mid-air U-turn to Australia on Saturday evening due to the closure of Qatar airspace.

“Guests who are planning to travel between Australia and Doha with Virgin Australia services in the coming days should closely follow their flight information and Smartraveller website for the latest travel advice,” a spokesperson for the airline said.

Seven more Virgin and Qatar flights were canceled on Sunday. Qantas said there was currently “no impact” on its flights “including flights between Singapore and London”. However, the airline was “closely monitoring the developing situation” and may adjust flights in the near future.
The long-term impact on Australian aviation, which, like other markets, has become reliant on transiting Gulf state airspace on journeys to and from Europe is unclear.

An Australia-based source with direct knowledge of the industry said that so far there has been no major backlash from passengers against Middle Eastern carriers because passengers understand the situation the Middle East is in. But he said hostilities “escalated so quickly” that it would likely be “in the back of customers’ minds.”

“What is the next type of reassurance and communication that an airline can give to passengers who will probably consider taking a different route to avoid the Middle East next time?”

“At the same time, if the price is right, people will still book, knowing the potential for such risks,” he said, noting that this was especially true for the “visiting friends and relatives” segment of tourism. Some travel insurance policies offer coverage for certain force majeure events that affect travel but are beyond the travel operator’s control. However, most travel insurance companies exclude war situations from trip cancellation coverage.

That’s partly why Dean Long, CEO of the Australian Travel Industry Association, said: “Our message to travelers is simple: firstly, do not cancel arrangements without seeking professional advice first; secondly, if you are not traveling within the next 48 hours and have not been contacted, please contact your travel agent to allow them to support those currently caught up in conflict, stranded or dealing with cancellations.”

“The situation is rapidly evolving and experienced travel professionals are best positioned to provide up-to-date guidance tailored to each traveler’s situation,” Long said.

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Mark Trim, founder of Adelaide-based Complex Travel Group, expressed hope that the current conflict would follow a similar course to hostilities in June, which affected aviation for only a few days before returning to normal.

“There’s no doubt that this feels a little more serious and could last perhaps up to a week or two.”
Trim said tourists generally liked the Middle East route, given the majority of Australian travelers traveled from the region to further destinations.

“Australians are resilient travelers and for the most part they are pretty balanced in their decision-making, but at this stage it is too early to tell whether there will be a long-term impact,” Trim said.