Edinburgh to Dubai flight turned back over Egypt due to airport drone attack

Hundreds of passengers flying to Dubai spent 11 hours on a flight to nowhere after their plane was turned back over Egypt.

The Emirates flight EK24 set off from Edinburgh at 21:26 on Sunday and was due to land in Dubai at 06:49 on Monday.

However, as the plane flew over Egypt, flights at Dubai International Airport were suspended following a fire caused by an Iranian drone hitting a fuel tank. The plane was forced to return to Edinburgh.

Travel journalist Simon Calder told the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast programme that although Dubai was on the UK Foreign Office's "No go" list, many people were still taking the risk of flying there.

No injuries were reported following the drone strike but officials said they had taken "all necessary measures" to ensure public safety.

In a post on X, authorities said the pausing of air traffic had been a "precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff".

In a later post, Dubai Media Office said Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announced the "gradual resumption" of some flights to and from Dubai International Airport to selected destinations.

It advised passengers to check with their airlines for updates regarding their flights.

Dubai International Airport was the world's busiest for international passengers in 2025, handling nearly 90 million travellers.

Iran has fired close to 2,000 missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates during the war - with most intercepted by air defences.

Saudi Arabia said it had downed dozens of drones overnight and Iraq and Kuwait reported new attacks.

Calder said: "At around 4am the airport announced that it was closing. At that time, the flight from Edinburgh, EK24 going to Dubai had just about reached the Egyptian mainland.

"Unfortunately the crew were told 'back to where you started from'. What a miserable experience."

He added: "So many Scots depend on flying out to the Gulf. Of more concern is if you are in Australia, Asia or Africa trying to come back, air passenger rights rules don't apply if you're booked on a non EU or non UK airline."

"Things are getting worse and worse before hopefully they will get better."

Calder said it was a "really difficult time to be travelling".

He told the programme: "If you are going through the Gulf you are taking something of a risk, although from what I've seen, plenty of people are prepared to take that risk in order to get where they need to be."

An Emirates spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the flight returned to Edinburgh due to operational disruption."

Edinburgh Airport said it would not comment on the situation.