At least 50 Malaga residents trapped in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Israel due to closed airspace

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Claudia Padilla and Lola Sánchez, two of the tourist from Malaga currently in the Middle East. SUR Middle East conflict 2026 At least 50 Malaga residents trapped in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Israel due to closed airspace

The tourists, almost all from Vélez-Málaga, had planned to return to Spain on Saturday but their plans changed after the airspace closed

Ignacio Lillo

Málaga

Monday, 2 March 2026, 11:39

A group of 27 tourists from Malaga province have had to prolong their stay in Dubai since Israel and the US bombed Iran, forcing the closure of the airspace in the Middle East.

The war escalation has left many tourists, mostly from Vélez-Málaga, with no option of returning to Spain. "They were supposed to leave on Saturday, but they have had to stay there," Mayor of Vélez-Málaga Jesús Lupiáñez told SUR.

The group had booked their trip through the Viajes Xamoní travel agency, which is now looking for ways to bring them back to Spain as soon as possible.

The mayor has also made arrangements with the government sub-delegation to contact the foreign ministry and the embassy.

Airspace closure

"It's just a wait-and-see situation, until there is a reliable ceasefire or a reopening of the airspace," head of the travel agency Martín Martínez said.

"Some airlines are looking at alternative airports nearby, because the problem in the Emirates is that there was an attack on Dubai Airport, which has disrupted operations for all airlines. Major airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways have halted all their operations, which means that thousands of passengers never left."

Martínez wanted to offer a word of reassurance, stating that all passengers "are looked after" by the hotels in which they are staying. According to him, the guests are receiving food and all the support they need.

A feeling of unease and uncertainty is, however, inevitable. "We don't know if it's better to look for a nearby airport or risk travelling by road. We don't know what the embassy advises," Martínez said.

"We rely on the private sector, on operators and airlines - that is the only hope we have for the moment," he stated.

Lufthansa's crisis office is studying all possibilities. This airline had initially planned a return journey via Zurich. The company offered an immediate solution - leave via Ethiopia, but then the authorities ordered the closure of the airspace.

The group of 27 are not the only Malaga province residents in Dubai. Two teachers from Vélez-Málaga have also not been able to leave after their MSC cruise.

A group of 29 Andalusians have also not been able to leave Jerusalem. They had to take shelter in a bunker on the day they were to return to Spain.

Hotels are providing assistance, food and shelter to all tourists

All tourists are receiving the same level of quality assistance from a hotel in "a discreet area of the city", away from major tourist attractions. The local government has issued mobile phone alerts, asking everybody to stay where they are and avoid unncessary journeys outside.

Martínez is hopeful that it won't take long, but fears their return won't be imminent. "I don't think it will be tomorrow, nor maybe the day after tomorrow," he said.

Tour guide José Ángel Monereo told SUR that the siutation is, in principle, calm, although they could still hear "some explosions in the morning".

Airlines temporarily suspend flights

Qatar Airways, which operates three weekly flights from Malaga to Doha, has announced the temporary suspension of all operations since Sunday due to the airspace being closed.

The airline is working with government and relevant authorities to provide support to affected passengers. It will resume operations as soon as the Gulf airspace reopens.

In addition, the airline expects some flight delays once operations resume.

Among the last to return to Malaga on Sunday were Isabel López Ruiz and her family from Vélez-Málaga.

The family spent last week travelling between Istanbul, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. "Ours was the last flight to take off. We were already in the air when we saw that the plane was being diverted to Cairo. We didn't know anything at the time and a flight attendant told us that war had broken out and that they had closed the airspace, which was why we had to divert."

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Messages warning of missiles.

After a two-hour wait in Cairo, they flew to Istanbul, where they spent the night in a hotel. And this morning they were picked up and taken to the airport again and finally flew to Madrid, where they attended SUR almost as soon as they landed.

They have not been aware of the escalation of the war at any time during the trip, as it all started when they were already in the air. Isabel admits that they were frightened when they found out about the situation inside the plane: "You never know what can happen with a missile, but we kept calm so that the child wouldn't know about it either".