A British mother has described her horror at being trapped with her young children in the UAE by the Iran-US conflict on their way back from a trip to India.
Hannah Connell returned to the UK from Abu Dhabi on Tuesday morning, along with her children and her husband. They were aboard a plane with dozens of empty seats, she says, that could have gone to other people desperate to leave the UAE.
Ms Connell, 43, lives in southwest London and owns an interiors and lifestyle shop, Split Figs, in the Surrey village of Shere.
She needed to travel to Jaipur in India for a two-week trip to meet designers and artists, and decided to bring her husband James, 45, daughter Ivy, 10, and son George, seven.
“Because we knew the trip would be intense, with lots of travel and work, we took advantage of Etihad’s extended stopover offer in Abu Dhabi on the way home,” Ms Connell said.
To get a competitive edge in the Gulf market, Etihad provides a free two-night stay to passengers passing through its hub.
Ms Connell and her family checked into the “calm and quiet” Aloft hotel in Abu Dhabi’s embassy district.
“We planned to spend two relaxing days in Abu Dhabi visiting my cousin, who works there as a teacher, before flying home in time for the children to return to school.
“We arrived very late on Friday night, around 1.45am. On Saturday morning we were by the rooftop pool when we heard a huge boom, followed quickly by two more.
“Everyone looked up and we saw small white puffs of smoke in the sky. I asked a man nearby what it was and he said it was a missile being intercepted. I asked if it was a training exercise. He said ‘No.’
“Your only instinct as a parent is to get your children somewhere safe.”
At the time, the family had a booking for a flight to London Heathrow in the early hours of Monday morning.
Ms Connell said events became even more frightening at around 1am on Sunday: “We were woken by emergency alerts on our phones. The alarms sounded across the hotel. The message, in Arabic and English, said a missile threat had been detected and instructed us to shelter in place and move away from windows.
“We later learned there had been an attempted strike near the airport and that people had been injured.”
Their flight was cancelled, along with dozens of others, on Sunday. Then, says Ms Connell, they had a lucky break.
“On Monday I heard that one flight had departed for London. That’s when I realised repatriation-style flights were operating and I needed to try to get onto one.
“By chance, an Etihad representative was at our hotel. I gave him our booking details, and he said there were 12 flights scheduled the next day, including one to London at 10.40am – but he couldn’t guarantee seats.
“At 3am we were woken again by emergency alerts and explosions. Thank goodness, because that’s when I saw an email confirming we were on the morning flight – and we needed to be at the airport four hours before departure.”
The family packed hurriedly and took a taxi to Abu Dhabi airport, which was “surreal” according to Ms Connell.
“Everything was open – shops, cafes, lights blazing – but the only passengers were from our flight and one other. It was eerily quiet, almost more so than during Covid.”
She describes the flight as “terrifying”, saying: “There was no special announcement from the captain, no reassurance – just a normal welcome on board. Until we were well clear of the region, I watched the flight map constantly. I felt completely exposed.
“Strangely, there were many empty seats. From where I was sitting, I could see at least 15 or 20 in our section alone. Given how many people were desperate to leave, that was upsetting.
“I can only assume some people didn’t receive their confirmation emails in time. But it felt as though there wasn’t coordination between the British authorities and the airline to ensure every seat was filled.
“When registering our presence, there was no system to prioritise vulnerable people: pregnant women, those with medical needs and so on. It didn’t feel structured.
“I feel guilty that we managed to leave while friends remain there trying to get out. There was a strong sense of camaraderie among people in the region.
“I also feel acutely aware of my privilege. As frightening as it was – and as a mother trying to protect your children, it was truly terrifying – we were in a hotel with clean water and food. I can’t imagine what it must be like for families in active war zones without support.
“That perspective has stayed with me.”
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