An Irish reader currently in Dubai has told Gript that life in Dubai is currently “open” and “relatively normal” despite the publication of “many fear stories” in both the Irish and British press.
The reader said some in the media have spread “hysteria” regarding Irish citizens in the United Arab Emirates. It comes as it was confirmed on Wednesday that an Emirates flight will depart Dubai for Dublin this evening.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said today that the flight will carry passengers whose flights were cancelled at the weekend. It comes after US-Israel strikes on Iran led to the closure of almost all airspace in the region.
According to Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee, there will be more than 400 people on the flight. She said today that the focus for airlines is their customers and people stuck in transit.
The Irish government is also working on putting on charter flights from Oman, telling Newstalk that “no other country, including ourselves” is able to procure charter flights from Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
Minister of State with responsibility for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, said on Tuesday that the Government is currently looking at all the options on the table to repatriate Irish citizens from the Gulf region.
Mr Richmond told Newstalk Breakfast and RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the advice for the 22,000 Irish citizens in the region was to register with the embassy and follow advice from local authorities.
He confirmed that a number of Irish people were on flights out of Abu Dhabi yesterday, and more would do so today, adding that efforts are focused on those “stuck in transit”.
Kevin Lynch, who was on a business trip in Dubai, showed up to the airport on Saturday to find out his flight had been cancelled. His flight on Saturday afternoon was one of the first to be cancelled.
“After exploring the magnificent Dubai airport and panic buying some gifts for my wife, I bumped into a colleague who was doom scrolling the news ashen faced muttering about Trump. I remember telling people around me we would be stuck for a while,” he said.
“The reputation of Dubai would not have appealed to me before, but I have been pleasantly surprised since being here. The efficiency of the place is amazing. Life is totally open and extremely normal here,” he said.
Mr Lynch sent in some images from downtown Dubai on Monday night, showing the Burj Khalifa lit up in patriotic colours, with people posing for pictures.
Speaking to us on Tuesday night, Mr Lynch said he was hoping to secure a flight in the next couple of days, adding that the “novelty of Dubai is beginning to wear off a little bit.”
“I’ve tried to turn off the news, especially the last few days. Obviously I was binge watching all the news channels on the first night, but some of the coverage was a bit over the top – with guests on British media being told they could run off and take shelter at any time.
“Presenters were almost inserting themselves into it. It’s interesting because before coming here for the trip, Dubai would not have been top of my list to visit – there are so many places around the world to go. But I ended up coming here for a multinational conference with lots of people from across Europe and Asia. I booked the trip back in October. I decided to stay a couple more days to explore the place.
“The airport on Saturday was filled with Irish people because there are daily flights to Dublin for all the Irish over here. It’s obviously an impressive, huge airport, and I had been buying some last minute gifts. I made it to the fate in plenty of time, with maybe 45 minutes before boarding was to begin.
“I went over to say hello to colleagues on the same flight and it was clear everyone was monitoring the situation with Trump and Iran, and that was when I really learned about the whole thing – less than an hour before the flight was due to leave. We knew we wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. The flight was initially delayed for two hours before being cancelled.
“We then had to book hotels and get accommodation sorted. The priority was really those people who had been travelling through the airport as a layover and weren’t planning to be in Dubai at all and were just taking connections, as they needed to be issued with temporary visas so they would have a legal basis to stay in the country.”
‘THE PROCESSES WERE INCREDIBLY FAST AND EFFICIENT’
“But the processes were incredibly fast and efficient. It was amazing to see the efforts to accommodate so many people, and some of the hotels are enormous. The airport just seemed to switch and flip into back-up system immediately. The staff had everyone’s bags out and they had extra staff from Emirates wearing gear to guide and advise people. It’s the biggest airport in the world by passenger capacity, so the organisation was amazing.
“There were big queues at all the desks for hotels. I myself wasn’t eligible for one and I had o look after myself. I knew colleagues of mine that were in the same situation and who queued for hours, but didn’t get brought to a hotel. The transit passengers were definitely the top priority to be accommodated.
“Some of the Irish with cancelled flights were very worried, while others calmed down. Some put a lot of energy into contacting the carriers and spending hours on hold. But it did become clear that we all had to sit it out and that we would eventually get on a flight.
“I managed to get a hotel booked and there were loads of families and tourists who you could tell were in a bit of shock. We were relieved because our employer let us know that the cost would be covered, which made us more relaxed. It definitely is a different scenario when you have a family and you have to put everyone up in a hotel, including kids. I have children so I am aware that that scenario could be distressing.
“The crazy thing is that currently, when you’re out in the streets or in public places, you wouldn’t actually know anything was happening. You couldn’t tell by walking around. You absolutely wouldn’t know anything was going on. I am aware that residents who work here have been asked to stay at home, and they’ve been at home for the past few days.
“But all restaurants, shops, hotels, and leisure places are mainly open. I went to the cinema for example – everything is open and functioning as normal. The Mall is a very big thing here, and it was totally thronged with people and families. The food courts, the ice skating rink, the shops and the aquarium are all packed with people. Generally, out and about, it is the case that people seem to be quite relaxed.
“There seems to be a lot of negativity in the media, especially in Ireland, that feeds into our political culture at times.”
At the time of speaking, on Wednesday night, Mr Lynch said he had heard there had been a few more missile interceptions in the evening, causing noises in the sky. According to the Government of the United Arab Emirates, there have been hundreds of drones and missiles intercepted so far.
“I’m no expert on military matters, but Iran seems to be a bit disorganised, shooting off a lot of things. I can understand it is a scary thing for people to think of, but when I see some of the stories in the UK and Irish press at the minute, it’s clear that they are very much selecting the very worst news angle.”
“I don’t know where [the Irish media] find these people who are wetting the bed with fear stories – at least in Dubai, and probably other Gulf countries – it appears safe Israel and especially Iran itself must be a different matter.
“The Irish taxpayers should not be called upon to act as some sort of insurer of last resort or emergency rescue service, especially for the many expats who appear in media profiles boasting about how they left dysfunctional Ireland.” he added.
Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), which operates Dublin Airport, has confirmed that Emirates plans to operate two flights on Wednesday between Dublin and Dubai.
The first is scheduled to fly from Dublin to Dubai, landing at 12:00 (GMT), and the other is then scheduled to arrive in Dublin from Dubai, landing just after 22:00.
All citizens have been advised to register with the appropriate embassy if they have not already done so and continue to follow embassy social media accounts for the latest updates.