Foreign Office issues travel advice for three holiday hotspots popular with Brits

The Foreign Office currently warns against travel to the UAE and urges those already in locations including Dubai, Bahrain, and Kuwait to take shelter.

As the joint US-Israel war on Iran continues, the FCDO has now included Cyprus, Turkey and Greece, in the updated travel advice for holiday hotspots.

Due to an airspace shutdown in the Middle East, thousands of flights have been cancelled or rerouted.

Several UK flights to Cyprus were cancelled by budget airline easyJet, following an intercepted drone attack on RAF Akrotiri.

British officials confirmed an RAF base in Cyprus was hit, although it’s still unclear whether the drone was launched directly from Iran or by Tehran-backed groups in the region.

“We advise all customers due to travel to and from Cyprus over the coming days to check our flight tracker for the latest information. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority and we continue to closely monitor the security situation in the region”, a spokesperson for the airline said.

British Airways is also among the carriers to have withdrawn services over the past few days. A BA spokesperson said, “If you are travelling between London and Larnaca up to and including 15 March, you can change your flight date free of charge to travel on or before 29 March”.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said “precautionary measures” were being taken following the suspected drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

“This is an unmanned drone strike, specifically on the airport runway, and we’re not able to provide further information and detail at this point. But obviously, all of the precautionary measures are being taken around the base”, she told Sky News.

There is currently no advice against travel to Cyprus; the FCDO has warned of a “heightened risk of regional tension” and possible escalation, which could lead to travel disruption and “other unanticipated impacts”.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not issued “do not travel” warnings for Turkey at the time of writing.

In its updated advice for Turkey, the FCDO said the border between Iran and Turkey remained open, with visa-free travel available for UK and Iranian passport holders for stays of up to 90 days.

“If you are a British national intending to cross the land border from Iran into Turkey, you must request facilitation from the British Embassy in Ankara by contacting the FCDO before travelling to the border”, it added.

The FCDO has not issued “do not travel” warnings for Greece either, at the time of writing.

Greece’s shipping ministry, however, has warned Greek-flagged vessels to exercise maximum vigilance and avoid the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and the Strait of Hormuz after the strikes on Iran.