British couple’s 22-hour wait for a flight home amid Dubai Airport ‘carnage’
A British couple has described the “carnage” of a 22-hour wait at Dubai airport after the US and Israel bombed Iran.
Lee Smart, 36, and Nina Luminati, 35, from Thornton Heath in south London, finally arrived back at London Heathrow on Wednesday afternoon.
They had spent the previous night sleeping on chairs in the busy terminal. The couple were returning from a wedding in India when their connecting flight to the UK was disrupted last Saturday and they were stranded in the UAE.
Even though they were on multiple waiting lists, the duo had difficulty finding a seat among thousands of passengers.
They eventually boarded Emirates flight EK001, which left Dubai at 7.45am on Wednesday.
Speaking to the Press Association in the arrivals hall at Heathrow Terminal 3, Mr Smart said: “Our hotel advised us to go to the airport yesterday morning and what happened next was just a minor massacre.
“I think a lot of hotels were telling people the same thing: Maybe they were trying to get people out.
“Some of them boarded their first return flight and we managed to board them because we were at the back of the queue.
“Despite everything that was going on, the city was pretty calm. I honestly think the UAE government did a great job.”
When they arrived back in London, the couple were greeted by Nina’s parents, Sue and Terry Luminati.
Sue, from Teddington, south-west London, said the couple were “scrambling” to get to Dubai airport.
He said: “When they got there it was an absolute nightmare. It was clear there were thousands of people in the same situation.
“It is very difficult to give advice as this is an unprecedented situation.
“Are you continuing? Are you going to stay there and hold your ground?”
“Are you going to get on a plane, or are you going to go back, find a hotel, relax, and wait for things to calm down?
“They stayed there, and that’s why they’re on this flight today. Because they were there at the right time to get a seat.”
